Seán McNamara elected to lead ICSA for second term

The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) has elected Westmeath’s Seán McNamara as the group’s president for the next two years.

The Lismacaffrey sheep, beef and suckler farmer won over fellow Lake County contender Dan Lynam from Castletown Geoghan.

The ICSA’s national executive voted on Wednesday in Portlaoise by 41 votes to 34 in favour of McNamara.

This translates to 55% of votes cast going McNamara’s way, as opposed to 45% for Lynam.

After the result was announced by the association’s general secretary Hugh Farrell, McNamara stated that he is prepared to get working for members.

Momentum

Speaking to the national executive before votes were cast, he had said that his work in shaping the ICSA was “only getting going” and that he wanted to keep the momentum from the leadership election going into his term.

“The big thing I will do is to bring three or four counties together to have regional meetings and demonstrations on different things like rearing calves or suckler cows, to bring people around for a few hours to meet each other,” he said.

“We need to be a lot more transparent and that’s the big thing I done when I got in first. There was no transparency.

“What I can say is that I have been transparent since the day I got in. Everybody in this room knows exactly what I have done and what I will do.”

Incumbent

McNamara has held the position of ICSA president since February of the year.

The sheep, beef and suckler farmer contested the last ICSA leadership election in 2022, when he faced off against then-outgoing president Dermot Kelleher from Cork.

This 2022 election resulted in a dead-split in national executive support for the two candidates that was resolved by splitting the two-year presidential term between the candidates.

The newly elected leader was congratulated by Lynam, who wished him well in his term and who ruled out putting his hat in the ring for the position in two years’ time.