President Joe

ATHENRY is celebrating this week as one of their own, Joe Healy from Greethill, has been elected the 15th President of the IFA, only the second Galway man to hold the title after John Donnelly from Abbey, Loughrea in 1994.
At the count centre in the Castleknock Hotel, Dublin yesterday (Tuesday) Healy (49) went well ahead of his nearest rival Flor McCarthy early in the count, even in the Kerryman’s own Munster.
When Galway, along with the other western counties, voted solidly for him the post was secured.
Galway came up trumps with just shy of 99% home support. He won’t have long to relax after the arduous campaign which took him to every IFA branch and corner of the country. A long list of crucial issues, not least the damage done to the image of the IFA following the pay scandal which prompted the election, awaits him.

Read more in this week's edition