‘It was personable – honest, funny at times and very heartwarming’

‘Ah God, no,” said Mary Martin in answer to Ciara Leahy’s question asking if Micheál, our Taoiseach, played golf. “He wouldn’t have time for that but he loves walking down the marina and around the city,” she said.

The interview with Mary Martin by Ciara Leahy at the Women & Agriculture conference in Sligo was lovely. The two Cork women gelled instantly and the 550 women might as well have been in a living room with them. It was personable – honest, funny at times and very heartwarming. We got a lovely insight into Mary’s earlier life as the young couple’s relationship developed.

Grit and determination

If truth be told, I think Mary was the more political one for a long time, getting involved in Fianna Fáil nationally. It was probably a good thing, giving her grit and knowledge to move forward with her ambitious husband. It’s clear that Mary is thoroughly enjoying Micheál’s success and very happy to support him.

They are both grounded in their love of family, the GAA, Cork and Courtmacsherry. Ciara touched on the death of the Martin’s two children, Ruairí and Léana. An emotional Mary said that it was always difficult to talk about them and she preferred not to, adding that you never get over the loss of a child. The empathy in the room was palpable.

Mary also shared some of the experiences that she’s had as the Taoiseach’s wife and the audience gave her a warm reception.

At the heart of every farm is the question of succession. The conversation cannot start soon enough. Amy Forde, news editor at the Irish Farmers Journal led this panel discussion.

The empathy in the room was palpable

There was quite a focus on avoiding conflict and planning ahead. One piece of advice was that children should be told what was contained in the wills of parents to avoid friction between siblings. That might be a hard pill to swallow, especially if there was an expectation created that might change over time but it can avoid conflict and disappointment after a person passes.

It’s impossible to sum up what a conference like this does for women. The experience is different for everyone. The more you immerse yourself in it, the greater the reward.

We had Caitríona Morrissey, deputy editor of the Irish Farmers Journal, leading a live recording of last week’s Tech Talk. It was a riveting conversation. Have a listen back on farmersjournal.ie/podcasts.

Then Adam Woods, deputy editor of the Irish Farmers Journal, interviewed Evelyn Cusack and Seamus Walsh who have launched a new book called They Say It Might Rain. This proved to be a really funny interview. The participants gave us some great laughs. It’s a good Christmas present for any household with lots of information (see page 5).

Jacinta Barrins, a retired United Nations diplomat gave a fascinating talk on how the making of a cup of tea and many of our daily activities causes greenhouse gasses (GHG) to be produced. The tenet of her talk was that up to 72% of GHG come from our consumption of food and fuel and not farming and other activities.

Beef and chocolate

Neven Maguire cooked up a storm of succulent fillet of beef and a no-bake chocolate tart. He then turned his talents to a bit of DJing! This resulted in a dance competition where the top prize was dinner and overnight for two in MacNean House & Restaurant.

The women gave it welly.

My highlights may not be the same as others, but Women & Agriculture was a great conference, peppered with tears and laughter. It was a pleasure to chair it once again.