Healy brokers deal as county unites in run-up to presidential election

LIKE the words of the song – Peace Has Broken Out – in Galway IFA circles following a dramatic development at the county’s AGM in Athenry last Thursday night.

Major contests looked to be looming with Eyrecourt’s Peter Gohery set to challenge Pat Murphy for the ‘chair’ while Stephen Canavan and Martin Murphy were due to slug it out for the position of second National Council Rep.

However there was what has been described as ‘a meeting of minds’ in the evening of the election with Galway’s National IFA Presidential candidate, Joe Healy, ‘banging heads together’ to get some unity in his own county.

Divisions and contests in Galway in the middle of Healy’s national presidential campaign were considered by his campaign strategists to ‘no help to him’ as he engaged on a countrywide campaign to secure IFA unity across the country.

“If there was division and in-fighting across Galway, in Joe Healy’s own backyard, it didn’t look well for his campaign nationally. What happened last Thursday night is a very good outcome for everyone,” one seasoned IFA delegate told the Farming Tribune.

Moves were afoot behind the scenes on Thursday afternoon to broker some kind of peace deal before the AGM in the Raheen Woods Hotel, Athenry, scheduled for 9.30 after the debate between the Deputy Presidential candidates.

Around 7pm that evening, Joe Healy – along with one of the most respected IFA figures in the county, County President, Eugene Duggan – held a meeting with outgoing Chairman, Pat Murphy; Peter Gohery; challenger for that position Peter Gohery; Stephen Canavan and Martin Murphy, both candidates for position of National Council Rep.

The meeting has been described as business like but cordial in the end with an agreement reached. The agreement was that Peter Gohery would withdraw his challenge for the ‘chair’ but that he would remain on as National Council Rep.

Stephen Canavan and Martin Murphy then agreed to withdraw their candidatures for the position of National Council Rep.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.