THE late Joe McCarthy (61) from Drimoleague has been fondly remembered by those who knew him as a ‘hard working family man’ who was also an active IFA member.
The well-known farmer and father-of-four tragically died following an accident involving a slurry pit last Thursday on his farm in Dromousta.
The alarm was raised at approximately 3.30pm when Mr McCarthy’s body was discovered on the farm and gardaí and emergency services were quickly on the scene.
West Cork IFA chairman Donal O’Donovan said Joe was a very active member within the organisation and he was always the ‘go to’ guy when it came to organising protests or marches.
‘He was the guy who worked behind the scenes without any fuss and every organisation needs those people and Joe typified that,’ said Donal.
‘He has a strong family tradition of fighting for farmers’ rights as his dad Danny Andrew was one of the main organisers of the march of farmers from West Cork to Dublin in 1966 to campaign for better conditions for farmers. Joe definitely inherited a lot of his father’s attributes.
‘He was a hard working family man and an outstanding farmer.
‘He even got a new milking parlour built last year, which showed his intention for the future.’
Joe is survived by his wife Martina and sons Daniel and Brian and daughters Eithne and Gráinne. His funeral took place on Monday afternoon following requiem mass in the All Saints Church in Drimoleague.
Both members of the West Cork IFA and local Clann na nGael GAA club held guards of honour in his memory.Meanwhile, both the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and gardaí will now conduct an investigation into his death, while a file will be prepared for the coroner.
