IFA Connacht Chairman Tom Turley has been backed by Galway to retain his position of Connacht Regional Chairman of the IFA.
It comes after weeks of wrangling in the county, with talk of the county splitting still on the cards, and pressure on Turley to retain the backing of his home county.
Turley was challenged by Bertie Roche for the nomination at a well attended meeting held in the Raheen Woods Hotel in Athenry tonight (January 21).
The backing for Roche came after weeks of controversy in Galway as branches in the North of the county have made efforts to breakaway and form a North Galway Executive.
However, on the night Turley received more votes than Roche. Turley thanked those at the meeting after the vote and said the county had to build from here and that he wants to put Galway back on the map. He said there are issues in our county that have to be sorted out.
Turley, who farms near Eyrecourt in Co. Galway, is a dairy, suckler and sheep farmer. He has previously been Chairman of the National Rural Development Committee 2008-2011.
Meanwhile, Mayo IFA County Chairman Padraic Joyce was backed by his home county to go forward for the position of Connacht Regional Chairman earlier this week.
Both Joyce and Turley now need the support of one and not more than one Chairman of another County Executive in the Connacht region.
Currently, it now looks to be a two-horse race in Connacht – as Joyce and Turley are the only two candidates to have been declared so far for the region.
Roscommon County Chairman John Hanley told Agriland recently that Roscommon IFA will be holding a County Executive meeting on Monday next.
It is understood that no one has yet put their name forward for the Connacht position in the county.
Sligo IFA is also to hold a County Executive meeting in the next week also, according to County Chair JP Cowley.
He also said that currently to his knowledge, no one in the county has put their name forward for candidacy.
Speaking to Agriland, James Gallagher, Leitrim IFA County Chairman, said that no one in Leitrim looks set to go forward for the regional position at the moment.