There are now three candidates in the race to become the next president of Macra, after Conor Murphy from Co. Cork announced his intention to enter the race to succeed Elaine Houlihan
The Cork man works in agricultural contracting, and has been a member of the Whitechurch Macra club in Co. Cork for 10 years.
“I didn’t join as young as I should have. If I was back again I would have joined a bit sooner; it’s a fantastic outlet,” he told Agriland.
He will contest the position against John Martin Carroll from Causeway in Co. Kerry and Josephine O’Neill from Co. Kilkenny.
If elected president, Murphy said he wants the organisation to “get back to basics”.
“After the 10 years, I’ve gone up through the ranks. I was club secretary after my first year. Once you go to a meeting, you’re given a job straight away. I am currently chair of my club,” he said.
“I was the national council representative for Seandún [Macra club] for four years, from 2020 to 2024. In that time I was chair of the national competitions sub committee for two years, from 2022 to 2024. I’ve built up a world of experience from that,” he added.
Macra
Murphy said he would be nervous about taking on the role as Macra president, but he is confident he is the right man for the job.
“Any fella that’s not nervous taking over a new job is only a bit of a fool. The next president will be the 40th, and there have been 39 great presidents [before that]. I’m nervous, but excited to take on the role if given the opportunity over the next two years.”
If elected, Murphy said his priority will be to grow the entire organisation by doing “the little things right”.
“I want to increase active membership, and increase membership engagement. I want to make sure that the members and the club officers are trained and encouraged to go up the ranks themselves,” he said.
The Co. Cork native also said generational renewal would play an important role in his presidency should he be elected to the role.
“One of the big things is generational renewal, to make sure the schemes are open. I want to make sure we have a knowledge transfer, and that young farmers are coming up the line,” he said.
“It’s all well and good to say that the generational renewal is working well, but we need to make sure that there is a viable future for young farmers,” Murphy concluded.