The saga over who would succeed Pat Smith has finally come to a close.

It’s safe to say there will be a widespread welcome for Damian McDonald’s appointment as director general of the IFA. His name was prominent among those mooted as being best qualified to lead the organisation forward from the very start.

It’s easy to see why.

Steeped in the Farm Centre, he first joined Macra in 1997, gaining a wide knowledge of farming issues as agricultural affairs officer. That would have been enhanced by his tenure as IFA’s animal health executive. Returning to Macra to become CEO showed ambition and leadership qualities. Finally, his decade in Horse Sport Ireland will have tested his temperament and political skills.

Long process

Some have been critical that IFA has left it too long to fill the vacancy, but that’s not being absolutely fair. The association committed itself to a fundamental review, which is only now coming to a close. It was important that the new president, with a fresh mandate, was in situ, and fully involved in the process. There was then an exhaustive trawl of potential candidates by KPMG.

It was common parlance within IFA that there was a five-person shortlist for the job. Both Gerry Boyle and James Brady have publicly confirmed their involvement in the process. There was one internal candidate in the final shake-up, widely understood to be Bryan Barry, who had been carrying out the duties of the general secretary since last November. That leaves one mystery person that no-one has been able to identify: the fifth man, a Kim Philby or Kaiser Soze.

A rumour did the rounds at the weekend that it was none other than Fine Gael general secretary Tom Curran. There was some logic to it – he was CEO of Macra when Joe Healy was president. However, there were strong denials all round that Curran had ever been involved.

The job title has been changed from general secretary to director general. As a lover of hurling in particular, McDonald must surely hope his tenure in IFA will be similar to that of a succession of people who have held the director general role within the GAA, overseeing gradual evolution, remaining a constant but almost invisible presence within a successful organisation.

We all wish him well.