Dillon formally to take over IFA presidency at January agm

The new president of the Irish Farmers' Association, Mr John Dillon, will formally take over from the outgoing president, Mr …

The new president of the Irish Farmers' Association, Mr John Dillon, will formally take over from the outgoing president, Mr Tom Parlon, on January 15th next at the organisation's annual general meeting.

The president-elect and hundreds of his supporters celebrated their victory into the early hours of yesterday morning at the Red Cow Hotel in Dublin. They were joined by many of the supporters of the defeated candidates, Mr Raymond O'Malley, Mr John Boylan and Mr Padraig Walshe.

Earlier, they had heard the new president-elect urging unity of the organisation in the future and asking the other candidates to join him in moving the IFA forwards.

Mr Dillon has also arranged a special night of celebration in the Woodlands Hotel, Limerick on Sunday night.

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The new deputy-president of the organisation, who was also elected on Tuesday to replace Mr Dillon, was Mr Ruaidhi Deasy, Aglish, Roscrea, Co Tipperary.

Mr Deasy, who is a tillage and livestock farmer, is the son of the association's second president, Rickard Deasy.

Mr Deasy has been a long-serving officer in the IFA, most recently serving as chairman of the national grain committee.

The other national officers elected on Tuesday were Mr Donal Kelly, Munster vice-president; Mr Eugene Sherry, north Leinster/Ulster vice-president; and Mr Matt Merrick, who was elected south Leinster vice-president.