Tipperary ICMSA president has 'no great desire' to get involved in politics

Farm politics was something that Tipperary ICMSA president Pat McCormack never envisaged, but it was something he always had an interest in growing up.

And he has no intention of going the same route as one of his ICMSA predecessors Jackie Cahill into national politics.

While he agrees that Tipperary Town needs to secure a politician in the area, “ it is certainly not going to be me”, he says.

Pat says that nothing ever really drew him into farm politics.

“I suppose there are a few people I could blame for it and the first man is probably the late Sean Kelly,” he says.

Pat was born and raised beside Sean Kelly and he was a good friend of his father’s.

“He’d always come back from Brussels and he’d come in to the table and they would be chatting away and I was earwigging. From there I went to a local branch meeting and he elected me delegate to County Tipperary executive. Maybe he was pushing on in years and saw me as the driver but we certainly we would have had great journeys in and out.

“At the time, Jackie Cahill was the deputy president and there were often lively debates where the three of us would hog a meeting with different perspectives. Obviously, Sean had been there and seen it all, Jackie was on the cusp of it and I was the voice of the young farmer at the time.

“From there I met Jackie Cahill and the rest is pretty much history. He had a huge impact on my ICMSA career as well.

“I was fortunate enough to have been elected dairy chairman for the last two years of his presidency and we would have enjoyed many hours travelling the country representing farmers maybe in different directions at times and maybe together.”

However, when it comes to national politics, he laughs and says Jackie’s Dail seat is safe.

“I’m enjoying what I do, primarily because of representing the people where I make a living. I would have always said right up along the way that I could see the political vein in Jackie and John Comer, and, maybe Pat O’Rouke had a mission, but I have always said I was different because I am a farmer. I like nothing better than going home and doing a bit of farming.

“I would hope that when my tenure is over that it would be more feasible for farm families and for individuals to continue farming and that is certainly my drive at the moment.”