South Leinster Election
South Leinster
Regional Chair Election
2020 will be remembered for the disruption caused by COVID-19. Since it arrived here in February, IFA has adapted to the changed circumstances in striving to support our members.
The aftermath of Brexit and the next CAP will require strong IFA leadership to represent the interests of Irish farmers.
Two candidates are in the running for the position of IFA South Leinster Regional Chairman – Francie Gorman and James Kehoe.
On this page you’ll find information about each candidate.
The South Leinster Chairman will be directly elected by the county executives within the region, recognising the central role of County Executive members within the IFA structure.
The new Regional Chairman will have a critical role in:
- Communicating with, and supporting County Executives, between Council meetings;
- Co-ordinating IFA campaigns at regional level; and,
- As a national officer and member of Council, dealing with urgent issues arising between
- Council meetings and liaising directly with County Executives within the region.
Meet the Candidates
Francie Gorman
Francie Gorman is a full-time beef and sheep farmer, and member of Ballinakill IFA. He farms in Laois with his wife Kay and their young son Tom. Francie has been involved IFA for over 20 years, first at branch level before moving on to sit on the National Farm Business Committee. Most recently Francie served as county chairman for Laois IFA.
For more details about Francie and what his priorities will be if elected click below.
James Kehoe
James Kehoe hails from the Monageer IFA branch in Co. Wexford. A drystock farmer since the age of 15, he joined the IFA in 1996 and became chair of Monageer IFA in 2005. He became a member of the IFA’s National Sheep Committee in 2012. James was elected Wexford county vice-chair in 2015, and chair in 2017.
For more details about Francie and what his priorities will be if elected click below.
Online Debates
We will have online debates to give county officers and branch delegates in six of the county executives of South Leinster the opportunity to hear from the two candidates.
All debates will take place via Microsoft Teams. To register, use the emails below.
| Date | County | Registration |
| Wed 25 Nov | Carlow | [email protected] |
| Thurs 26 Nov | Kildare | [email protected] |
| Mon 30 Nov | Kilkenny | [email protected] |
| Tues 1 Dec | Offaly | [email protected] |
| Wed 2 Dec | Dublin | [email protected] |
| Thurs 3 Dec | Wicklow | [email protected] |