Reunion recalls NFA march
Some of the farmers who accompanied Co Limerick farmer, Paddy Lorigan, on the long walk to the capital in 1966 “to demand rights for farmers” came together with him at his home at Murroe last week for a reunion on his 80th birthday.
A well-known NFA-IFA member through the decades, Paddy was a founding member of Murroe NFA Branch and served as Limerick county secretary for 15 years.
He recalled that the long and challenging walk to Dublin was the start of a period of campaign by farmers to get recognition from the Government for their rights, which included the sit down outside Government Buildings and the blocking of roads for which some of the farmers were jailed.
Joined by colleagues of the march, Paddy recalled that “it was a big struggle at the time to achieve a better income for farmers”, but they all felt that they had to take action because the Government of the day was not treating farmers well. He said that many of them found “the going hard in the beginning” and suffered blistered feet during the early days of the long walk, but in hindsight believe that it was a turning point in achieving recognition from the Government for farmers, and they look back on it as “one of the great events of our lifetime”.
Among those at the gathering who took part in the long walk were Hugh Ryan, Portlaoise, Mark Kennedy, Kilmeedy, Gerard Hayes. Mungret, Herbert Gow, Murroe, Norman Long, Mungret, Pat Fogarty, Cappamore, Donie Costelloe, Bruree, Sean Condon, Croom, Seamus Martin, Drombanna, Ned Cagney, Croom and Larry Broughton, Cappamore.
Former officers of the Limerick County IFA Executive were also guests at the gathering at Paddy’s home.
