Macra members are continuing their march to the Dáil this morning, bringing with them their message for the future of rural Ireland.
They left Athy at 6pm yesterday, where their organisation was founded 79 years ago, to walk a kilometre for each year of its existence (79km) to the gates of Government buildings in a bid to highlight the challenges facing farmers and young people living in rural Ireland.
Yesterday, Vice President-elect for Leinster, Tullow man Patrick Jordan, told KCLR that accessing affordable housing, a lack of public transport, healthcare and rewetting proposals are among their concerns.
President-elect of Macra, Limerick native Elaine Houlihan who is a physio with Kilkenny Camogie, says “I am quite hopeful that this will show the Government that we are quite serious, that we want to stay in rural Ireland, it wasn’t the decision that was made easily, this is a massive undertaking to walk 79km from Athy to Dublin with this message, I hope there is engagement, if we do need to take it a step further I suppose that’s something we’ll have to wait and see what next we’ll actually do”.