The race to become the next president of Macra has kicked off with John Martin Carroll from Causeway in Co. Kerry becoming the first to declare his interest in running for the position.
In a post on social media in recent days, Carroll explained that becoming a member of Macra has had a huge impact on his life.
“In 2016, my life completely changed. I went through five years of hell; lost my mother to cancer, my father to a stroke.
“I nearly lost my own life to a cancerous tumour, which caused many years of trauma. With all of that, what would I do? Lucky for me, Macra was introduced to me and it completely changed my life for the better,” he explained.
“Since then, I’ve gone to many counties, many competitions, many great events, made loads of friends, set up clubs, got involved in fundraisers and met loads of people and listened to their stories,” he added.
The Kerry man said that he was proud to announce his intention to run for Macra national president.
“This wonderful organisation has given me back so much and rebuilt me in ways I thought I would never recover. So I want to give back to the organisation and all its great members.
“To quote my late mother: ‘Many hands make light work’, which means emphasising the importance of teamwork and cooperation.
“I want to give everything I can to help all the Macra members all over Ireland to make a change in the organisation and give them a voice that hasn’t been heard in a very long time.
“I want to give them the respect that they deserve for all their hard work over the years and their lives that have changed for the better,” he said.
Carroll said he looked forward to meeting members and clubs around the country during the course of his campaign.
It is expected that others may announce their bids to contest the Macra presidential and vice-presidential elections in the coming weeks.
Macra
Macra is a voluntary organisation representing 13,500 young people from rural Ireland.
The group advocates for its members aged between 17 and 40 in a “fun, inclusive and supportive environment”.
The organisation’s current president Elaine Houlihan was elected unopposed in March 2023 for a two-year term.
Hailing from a beef farm in Athlacca, Elaine, who works as a physiotherapist, is a member of the Kilmallock and Limerick Macra clubs was only the second woman to lead the organisation.