Three National Leadership Awards were awarded to outstanding young leaders in Macra na Feirme recently.
Yvonne Daly, Kieran McEvoy and Gemma Goulding were awarded at a special reception at the Irish Farm Centre in Dublin.
The Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Rural Economic Development and Rural Transport, Ann Phelan, was a guest of honour at the ceremony.
The Minister commended the work of Macra na Feirme and the six leaders who were selected as finalists.
The Macra na Feirme National President, Kieran O’Dowd, said that the National Leadership Awards are an important platform for the rural youth organisation to recognise its best leaders.
“Their contribution to both Macra and their local communities cannot be overstated,” he said.
He also congratulated the six finalists who “displayed the skills and attributes that make Macra leaders sought after by employers”.
The National Leadership Awards recognise the leadership skills of Macra members within their clubs and the wider community.
The competition also raises the level and standard of leadership in Macra and provides an incentive for the development of club programmes.
Niamh Fagan, Michael Moclair and Tara Fourie were the other finalists in the National Leadership Awards competition.
A judging panel comprising of ex Macra President Tommy McGuire, CEO of the National Dairy Council (NDC) Zoe Kavanagh and former Macra National Treasurer Martin O’Keefe made the decision of awarding the winners of the competition.
Each winner was presented with a commemorative trophy and will go on to represent Macra internationally in 2015.