The closing date for Macra’s club of the year competition is Thursday 30 June and every club is urged to enter. Application forms are available from the Macra national office and on macra.ie. The aim of the competition is to recognise and reward the hard work and commitment of clubs and members. Each entrant will be judged on a number of different criteria and counties/regions can put forward one entry each.

These entries will be shortlisted to 14 clubs who will be interviewed by an adjudicating panel. Following this, six clubs will be selected and they will progress to the national final which will take place at the Macra na Feirme annual conference (rally) over the October bank holiday weekend.

Macra na Feirme national president Seán Finan said: “I am very proud of the invaluable work that Macra na Feirme does for the development and betterment of young people and communities across the country. Club of the year is a wonderful competition to demonstrate this work and the other important contributions members make to their local community through their Macra na Feirme clubs.”

Along with the club of the year competition, there is also an award for the best new member. This will be presented to one individual Macra member who is deemed by his/her club to have made a significant contribution to the development of the club during their first year of membership.

Finan added: “The best new member competition recognises new members who have excelled in their involvement in their Macra na Feirme club in the initial years of their membership and recognises their achievements.

“I encourage all counties to complete their rounds in the next few weeks and enter this competition, which showcases Macra na Feirme at its best,” Finan said.