Donal Moloney RIP

Donal Moloney spent most of his life in the service of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. A native of Kilshanny, Co Clare, Donal qualified in agricultural science from UCD in 1956. He began his career working in Johnstown Castle for the Department of Agriculture on grassland at that time. This was at a time before An Foras Taluntais (AFT) was established.

When AFT was formed, it became clear that Johnstown Castle was going to be transferred to AFT. Many opted to stay with the Department and so left Johnstown Castle. Those who stayed witnessed the rise of AFT.

Donal opted to remain in Johnstown Castle for a period as a researcher where he was in charge of the famous Castle field trial, which compared chemical nitrogen with a clover sward.

Donal was sent to Moorepark to lay out and fence off the grassland areas for research before it was placed under the control of AFT.

In 1965, he left Johnstown Castle and moved back to the Department in Backweston. There, he took a post in plant pathology and shortly after he was given a fellowship to the US to study plant pathology at the University of Minnesota in St Paul. He graduated with a masters degree in 1968.

Having completed those studies, he returned to Backweston where he continued to work in the plant pathology area. He pioneered a lot of work on new crop protection products that came into use around that time. Donal became head of the feed, crop and fertiliser control division for four years prior to his retirement in 1997. He passed away on 20 March and is sadly missed by all his family. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

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