It has been confirmed that Dairygold has appointed two dairy farmers as new members to its board in recent days.

Patrick Clancy – from Ballyporeen, Co. Tipperary – has been elected to the board to fill the position held by Pat O’Keeffe.

Clancy, who is a dairy farmer, has been a member of the Mitchelstown Regional Committee since 2005. He follows in his father’s footsteps as a member of the board of Dairygold.

The dairy farmer is married to Carmel and they have three children – Sean, Ellen and Alice. He is also the chairman of the Ballyporeen Childcare Committee.

Meanwhile, Maurice Curtin – a dairy farmer from Tournafulla, Co. Limerick – was elected to the board to fill the position held by Dairygold’s outgoing chairman James Lynch.

Curtin has been a member of the Limerick Regional Committee since 2004 and he is also an active member of his local GAA club. He is married to Carmel and they have two children – Diarmuid and Laoise.

Last week, Bertie O’Leary – a former chairman of Dairygold – was awarded the Plunkett Award for Co-operative Endeavour by the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS).

O’Leary, who is a dairy and beef farmer from Ballyvourney in Co. Cork, has an impressive CV; he previously held the positions of vice-chairman and chairman of Dairygold, as well serving as vice-president and president of ICOS. He was also the chairman of the ICOS Dairy Committee.

The Plunkett Award is the Irish co-operative movement’s highest honour and is presented annually to acknowledge exceptional dedication to co-operative endeavour in Ireland.