Tag Archives: Irish Farmers Association

IFA president, Eddie Downey has paid tribute to Tom Cahill one of the nine central figures in the historic Farmers’ Rights campaign of 1966, who passed away last night. Tom Cahill, from Ballyportry, Corofin, was the last surviving member of the nine farmers who led more than 40,000 farmers in a march to Dublin after which Tom, along with eight other selected representatives, made their way to the Department of Agriculture to meet with the minister. When the minister refused to speak with the group, they staged a sit-in on the steps outside Government Buildings, which lasted 21 days, before the Government backtracked and agreed to discuss the concerns of the farming community. IFA president, Eddie Downey said the legacy of the effort and the hard work by Tom Cahill and his farmer colleagues in 1966 is evident in the continued survival of not just the IFA, but the farming community. Mr Downey said he believed the effort made by …

Over 600,000 texts alerting people to potential criminal activity in their local area have been sent to individuals and communities across the country during the first year of the crime prevention Text Alert system. Text Alert now has over 450 Text Alert groups in towns and villages throughout the country with more than 80,000 people signing-up to the scheme, launched a year ago this week. A joint initiative of An Garda Síochána, Muintir na Tíre, Neighbourhood Watch and the Irish Farmers Association, Text Alert enables communities to set up a group to receive alerts advising them of suspicious or criminal activity in their area. As well as ensuring awareness among users of the service, it can also lead to them reporting suspicious activity to gardaí. “We have found that as an immediate, cost effective method of engagement with the communities we serve, the Text Alert system has proved to be invaluable. We will continue to ensure that the system is …

In what have come to be known as “tractor protests”, members of the Clare farming community, led by IFA president, Eddie Downey, staged a protest in Dunnes Stores car park in Ennis this Tuesday morning. This was part of the ongoing national campaign to highlight the sale of prime beef at low prices in a number of the main supermarket chains. Having gathered at Clare Marts on the Quin Road, the farmers made their way along Clonroad to Dunnes. There they chained shopping trolleys together and a number of speakers, including Mr Downey and Clare IFA chairman, Andrew Dundass, addressed the crowd before the protest ended.