Ballyboy I.F.A.
The National Farmers Association (N.F.A) was formed in Dublin in January
1955. Their agenda was to present a coherent national voice for all Irish
farmers and all issues affecting their livelihoods. Ballyboy branch was
formed in the late fifties by a group of interested local farmers. N.F.A.
branches only elect two officers and their first Chairman was Dr Eamonn
Lee, and Denis Guinan was elected Secretary. Life was tough and times
were hard for farmers at the time so the branch was formed to protect
the rights of farmers, to tackle farming problems and to keep rural life
alive. Other people involved at the time were Frank Breen, Tim Sweeney,
Sean Guinan, Pat Murphy, to mention a few and Robert Gill who played a
major roll in branch activities for a good few years.
Since its formation the group have been continually active through the
years. In the sixties and the seventies membership was often up to 200.
The National Farmers Association (.N.F.A) changed its name to the Irish
Farmers Association (I.F.A.) in the seventies.
The present officers are Chairman, Luke Mooney from Ballinacarrig, and
Secretary, Justin Cleary from Broughal .
The life and times of the farmer has changed immensely over the last 50
years since the humble days of the horse and plough, but with the help
of modern technology and better organisation the output from the farms
has improved dramatically. Statistics show that in the fifties the average
farmer produced sufficient food to feed 7 people, now with the change
of the times the present farmer is said to be capable of producing enough
food to feed 45/50 people. Some present farmers say even today farming
is a tough life! Who are we to disagree?
Come on a virtual tour of Ballyboy
