Macra elects first non-farmer president

Barrister and accountant Kieran O’Dowd has been elected as the 34th president of Macra na Feirme, the first ever non-farmer to hold the office and Sligo’s first national president.

A native of Gurteen, he intends to devote himself full-time to promoting Ireland’s young farmers for the next two years. This will mean giving up his current roles as a barrister on the Midlands circuit and part-time PR manager for the Michael Coleman Heritage Centre.

The many letters after his name signify his finance degree from IT Sligo, two post-grad diplomas in finance and accounting from DIT, and a diploma in legal studies from Kings’ Inns, which he completed while working full-time as a fund accountant.