How small a world it is was brought home to me recently when I had the good fortune to meet a man by the name of Johnny O’Sullivan from Kealkill.

About this week 60 years ago, he was walking the roads of Tipperary and the midlands as one of the 16 farmers who left west Cork for Dublin as part of the Farmers’ Rights March.

I met Johnny and Jim Morris, another who walked to Dublin, ahead of a commemoration in Bantry recently.

Reality

It was fascinating to hear the day-to-day reality of what the 12 days of walking was like, the reception into Dublin and quietly heading back to life after it.

The small world bit came up early in our chat.

Responding to his query as to where I was from, I replied, Ballinascarthy originally. He mentioned his daughter was married to a man from there. I got some land when that turned out to be my next-door neighbour for most of the first decade of my life and, as we were close in age, spent most of that time in each other’s houses.

I’d often describe the real west Cork as not starting until you’re west of Dunmanway and Rosscarbery and, looking at the list of the 16 marchers, that’s where they came from.

From there, the land rises and falls and twists and turns and there’s more of it more challenging to farm than east of that line.

The land remains the same but much has changed since.

The nitty gritty of marching

The end game was important but hearing about the daily life and social interactions was more interesting. That stuff gets glossed over. It wasn’t all plain sailing, but adrenaline and food fuelled them on.

Johnny said: “Grub varied from place to place. At the time I couldn’t give a damn what ’twould be, I’d eat anything. When you’d be hungry, you’d eat anything. ’Tis amazing we never carried any food with us on the road.”

While Jim was known for his singing on the march, Johnny managed to catch some of the showbands of the time once the day’s walking was over. He met some members of the Bluebell Quartet after a gig in Cork and they knew about the march.

“I think it was either in Cahir or Cashel, they came in to pick me up, they wanted to take me dancing with them, but I wasn’t after getting any grub so I couldn’t go on an empty belly.”

Generosity

Farmers’ houses and guest houses provided accommodation in Cork before a move to caravans from Tipperary onwards and staying mainly in mart yards. I asked Johnny what surprised him:

“The generosity of the people. The way they looked out for us and looked after us. ’Twas brilliant. I mean we were complete strangers. We got grub, we got everything in fairness, it was very well organised.”

Division in Irish farming is hard to gloss over and those differences are put in the spotlight every time the CAP comes up for renewal. Wanting to be heard and have the chance to make representations to Government was one of the key demands in 1966 and it was something that succeeded in bringing farmers together.

Something that stuck with me, from the conversations with family members of those who have passed, was, while there was common cause to get recognition from Government, in the years that followed, there was a realisation among some that some people marched for return on investment, while for others, it was a matter of survival.