Murphy first to hit the IFA election canvass

Election season has begun in the IFA. C?onnacht chair Pat Murphy brought some election literature to the recent Longford county executive. The Galway dairy and suckler farmer declared his candidacy for the IFA deputy presidency last month but the move marked the opening of canvassing for IFA elections at the end of the year.

IFA president Tim Cullinan, deputy president Brian Rushe and three of the four regional chairs will all have completed their terms.

Only north Leinster-Ulster chair Frank Brady will remain in situ, unless he contests a more senior position.

So who’s in the running for president? Brian Rushe is understood to have made his decision as to whether he will run or not, and will be informing the Kildare executive of his decision soon. If he doesn’t run, it won’t be for a lack of ambition.

Rushe is only 42, with a young family and has expanded his dairy farm, so has a lot on his plate right now. He could easily take a decade away and still run for president.

It seems highly likely that Martin Stapleton will run for president.

Currently national treasurer and returning officer for the association, any formal declaration will likely be made to his own Limerick executive.

It’s understood the Oola man is currently building a campaign team, with county chair Seán Lavery likely to be pivotal. Lavery was instrumental in John Dillon’s election as IFA president 22 years ago, along with his wife Mairead, who was then the Limerick IFA chair herself. Is that an omen?

If Rushe doesn’t run, the most credible challenge to Stapleton may well come from Francie Gorman.

The Laois drystock farmer, currently south Leinster chair, is well-known around the country.

A broken leg reduced his visibility over the winter months, but he’s back in circulation, and is understood to be seriously considering a run.

Undaunted

Gorman would be undaunted by the challenge, but like Rushe has a young family. People often forget that IFA national officers leave not just their farms but also their families to represent the common interest of all farm families, and the demands of national roles are significant.

Paul O’Brien, the current environment chair, is seen as a likely candidate to contest the deputy presidency. Hailing from Kilkenny, he has quietly impressed in an often difficult role.

Farm family chair Alice Doyle, buoyed by the huge turnout at the first of the farm succession seminars she is chairing, has said she is exploring a run for the deputy presidency. She has experience, having managed Angus Woods’ presidential campaign last time out. Woods himself was also present in Carlow at the succession meeting and is back in the IFA fold. Is he contemplating a run?

TJ Maher, the animal health chair, is being spoken of. The complicating factor for the Tipperary man is that he is Martin Stapleton’s brother-in-law. If Stapleton runs, he probably won’t. Outside of that, any potential candidate might come from Cork, with Con O’Leary, Pat O’Keeffe, Nigel Sweetnam and Harold Kingston all being mentioned.