With just over a week to the deadline for nominations for the Deputy President and Regional Chairs in the IFA Elections, two more names have entered the fray.

At a meeting in Kildare last night (Monday) Pat Farrell was backed to run for the role of Deputy President of the Association. It means, with enough signatures, he will face Nigel Renaghan from Monaghan and the current IFA Poultry Chairman and Richard Kennedy from Limerick.

Farrell is the current Co. Chairman of Kildare and prior to that served as Environmental Chairman within IFA. During his tenure as Environmental Chairman he oversaw new regulations around septic tanks which, he said, affected rural dwellers right across the country.

Farrell is also known within IFA circles as one of the four men who 12 months ago, in January 2015, called for a motion of no confidence in the then General Secretary Pat Smith. The motion was defeated at the time but, according to Farrell, he was aware that things were not running as they should in IFA and it was his attempt to do something about that.

Meanwhile, John O’Beirne received the backing of voters in Roscommon last night to run for Connacht Chairman of IFA.

This means that O’Beirne joins the current Connacht Chairman Tom Turley and Padraic Joyce in the search for another signature before next Wednesday.

O’Beirne is a former County Chairman and has been involved in Strokestown Show over the years. He is expected to get the backing signature of Leitrim or Sligo.

That leaves Joyce and Turley looking for a signature from Sligo or Leitrim and with just five counties in IFA Connacht the sums don’t add up for three people to run for Connacht Chairman.