Joe Walsh TD

Joe Walsh Tribute, Inchydoney Hotel, 21st January 2005.

On a fine Summer’s night in 1977 Joe Walsh was brought shoulder high from the count centre in Clonakilty across the street and placed on the roof of a nearby telephone box. Resembling an ancient Irish chieftain almost six and a half feet in height he stood framed against the backdrop of the night sky as he addressed the throngs beneath.

In a night of high drama and unconfined celebrations Joe had just been elected Teachta Daile for the first time.

Only three years previous, while standing on a butter box, and addressing an after Mass gathering, he had lunched his initial campaign for Cork County Council at the gates of Johnstown church.

Was’nt it also from a butter box, that a once famous politician, while in full flow, was interrupted by a woman, who asked the probing question “how many toes have a pig”. His response was sharp and to the point “Take off your shoes and count them”.

In the short space of three years Joe emerged from relative political obscurity to National prominence and has remained there ever since. Through youthful enthusiasm, dedication to duty and a passion to succeed he attracted volunteers to his campaign from all parts of the constituency and beyond.

The Southern Star, always keeping an eagle eye on the spectacular, once remarked and I quote “Joe Walsh has built up a tremendous back up organisation and he commands an enviable personal loyalty among his followers”. Unquote. Unfortunately a number of those early supporters and campaigners have gone to their eternal reward, but for the most part, the survivors remained loyal which is a testament to Joe’s integrity as a person and as a public representative, as if your magnificent turnout here tonight.

During the late 1970’s and early 80’s elections were fought with great frequency and fierce intensity. And in the white heat of every battle Joe and his followers were relentless campaigners, the best in the business and when the votes were tallied in huge numbers Joe was nearly always first past the line. In the 1985 local election, for instance, Joe got over 3,500 votes; a record then and a record that has stood the test of time, and in the 1987 general election he polled an incredible 9,500 first preference votes.

Meanwhile back in Emmet Square his constituency office was a hive of activity, whether staffed by Pasty, Catherine or Ellen. Under Joe’s guidance they confirmed people’s entitlements, completed forms and made representations to various institutions and departments. This, the work of the unsung, often goes unnoticed except for in the memory of those who were pleading a special case and of course at the ballot box.

In 1987, Charles Haughey displayed great insight and indeed foresight when he created the Dept. of Food and appointed Joe as its first minister of state. Joe immediately gave food a new focus that revolutionised the Nation’s historic thinking and dependency.

He presided over a period of dynamic and rapid change; he accelerated the demand for and the inventory of new products. He traversed the globe to attract new industry to Ireland and provided initiatives to food companies to modernise and become sophisticated. He was instrumental in the campaign to promote rationalisation and integration which resulted in farm owned Co-Ops being floated on the stock markets of Europe. This led to huge investment in the industry and with modern processing an aggressive marketing Irish food and beverage exports quadrupled during this time.

When Mr. Haughey said on the day of his retirement “I have done the State some service” he was right, for once he had ignited the spark from which Joe lit the torch that now gives food a National identity of its own.

On that same day, our guest tonight Mayor Paddy Sheen of Cork County Council, who had a great rapport and understanding with Mr. Haughey, say that the end was nigh and warned the Taoiseach that there was a hurricane fast approaching. A dispirited Taoiseach replied to the Deputy “The fight is over. You may return your sword to its scabbard”. That he did and it has remained there ever since, but from what we read in the papers recently, about a younger tiger, in Clonakilty he may have to draw and use that sword to defend his patch before the next election is out.

February 15th 1992 was an historic night here in Inchydoney. The old hotel bulged with its biggest crowd in history as it hosted the homecoming celebrations for Joe as Minister for Agriculture and Food. This was a defining moment in Joe’s political career and as the new day dawned he seized the opportunity with typical enthusiasm, flair and commitment.

This dynamic approach prompted the Irish Farmers Monthly of July 1992 to report and I quote “Has Joe Walsh set a pace that will be impossible to maintain. The first one hundred days of his reign have been almost too good to be true” unquote.

A month later the Cork Examiner, not to be outdone was equally lavish in its praise and I quote “To date he has managed to achieve far more than his most ardent supporters could have dreamt”.

It was only right and proper then that Joe’s achievements were being recognised by independent commentators.

Because wasn’t it Joe, who negotiated on behalf of the Irish people CAP reform in 1992 which gave direct payments to Irish farmers of one billion pounds and a further billion in support payments. Remember that was at a time of economic recession and uncertainty in the industry.

In fact it is true to say that in every CAP reform negotiations he has been involved in since he has delivered more than the media, his political opponents or the farm pressure groups would have dared to forecast.

He introduced the highly successful farm retirement scheme together with the Leader Programme and the Reps Scheme. He established An Board Bia, a Board which, in 2004, presided over an industry with exports in excess of €7 billion; a fitting testament surely to Joe’s foresight.

And as a renowned horseman himself he introduced significant legislation that reformed the Bloodstock industry at various levels.

Unquestionable the crowning glory was his skilful management of and the leadership he displayed during the foot and mouth crisis, which is now legendary. In saving the Nation he was credited with the power of Divine intervention and it was no wonder then that when the Russian were unable to pay for their meat worried farmers and others looked to Joe in hope and expectation. And it was even thought possible that he should sort out the horrendous winter weather that followed. And who is to say he didn’t; haven’t the last few winters been generally fine and mild.

Despite his National and International achievements and acclaim Joe is fundamentally a West Corkman. He has been instrumental in or central to most of the Socio-economic transformation that has taken place in the Region over the post three decades.

The main industries of Agriculture, Marine and Tourism have benefited, not just from Joe’s tenure as Minister for Agriculture, but equally from the initiatives that he pioneered or supported at regional level. The Fuchsia Branding Programme, for example, has 50 companies and over 100 tourism establishments as participants in one of the most exciting projects of its kind in Europe.

The West Cork Leader Co-op, for many years under the Dept. of Agriculture, has funded several worthwhile projects in Food, Tourism and Community Sectors. Agri-tourism is being helped to indentify and create niche products and markets and there has been a phenomenal emergence of indigenous Irish industry.

Infrastructure and Communications benefited hugely from Joe’s support and from the Old Head of Kinsale to the Dursey Sound and The Mizen Head we have numerous example of where Joe secured funding for roads, piers, slipways, water and sewerage schemes and his assistance in bringing Broadband, with its €20 million worth of infrastructure is critical for businesses in the Region to compete successfully in this technological age.

He has led other flagship initiatives, such as, The West Cork Technology Task Force, which presently provides 400 jobs and his exciting plans to treble this in the immediate future. The highly acclaimed Clonakilty Seaside Resort Scheme and the Mizen Vision Interpretative Centre are among other key developments and he has successfully introduced a programme of decentralisation to West Cork with over 100 people employed in the District Veterinary Office and 60 more from the Department of Agriculture outsourced to the SWS Group. The Department of the Marine and BIM will follow suit shortly.

This magnificent hotel, Nationally and Internationally renowned, would scarcely have got beyond the drawing board were it not for Joe’s foresight, commitment and vision.

Padre Pio, in his time, had a distinct advantage over the rest of us in that he could be in two places at the one time. Having given and achieved so much in a most hectic and demanding profession it would appear that Joe too many have the power of bi-location. How he emotionally and physically withstood such torturous and gruelling schedules is in itself a miracle. I even feel tired speaking about it, and believe it of not Joe’s blood pressure actually goes down at times of extreme stress.

To condense then thirty years of unparalleled service and achievement into a short tribute is a most difficult it not impossible take. One can only hope to reflect in summary the extent and the quality of that achievement.

Along with National decoration Joe’s contribution has of course been Internationaly recognised and honoured with prestigious order of merit presented to him, by among others, President Jacques Chirac of France and Juan Carlos, King of Spain and he holds an honorary doctorate from St. Joseph’s University, Phipadelphia.

He has supped and broken bread with Ministers, Prime Ministers, Commissioners, Presidents, Emperors and Kings, I don’t know about queens. Yet Joe is still the same boy who walked barefoot to school through the field in the 1950’s or on the road from Kilmoylerane to Ballineen Fair in the dark of early morning.

Devoid of pride, pretension or falsehood we are thrilled that he is still known to all simply as Joe. He has fulfilled the ideal as expressed so well by Rudyard Kipling, “If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue. Or walk with Kings and not loose the common touch”.

Joe you have done West Cork and perhaps more importantly Kilmoylerane proud. We rejoice in your successes, personal, political and otherwise. We appreciate and honour you for your achievements on our behalf and that of the Nation. We marvel at your commitment and endurance. We salute your courage and determination. We envy you your calmness and assuredness in times of crisis. We respect our dignity and integrity. We selfishly regret your retirement from Government and we wish you Marie and your family well in whatever new frontiers you may in future decide to conquer.

Thankfully you are still very much in the prime of life; your race is less than half run. Long may it continue.