Feature
Jack Roche: A True Friend of LEADER
then Chairman of the Board and appointed IRD Duhallow CEO to represent IRD Duhallow on our National LEADER Network. After a short time, he was elected Chairman of the Network and appointed to the European LEADER Association for Rural Development (ELARD). After a years’ Jack Roche and IRD Duhallow CEO Maura Walsh with service, he was elected Tim Brosnan of Eircom, Jim Leahy Dept Finance, President of ELARD, a position he held for the Martin Conlon of Eircom, and John Moynihan full term of three years. Jack was honoured and He won the hearts and minds of recognised across Europe as the While we were still reminiscing and the entire LEADER community and voice of the volunteer and the ‘’ag dul síar ar aistir” IRD Duhallow when the European Commission volunteer-led Local Action Groups. fé Jerry Sheehan, in the days representative suggested that We have received condolences from following his funeral we got the ELARD play a prominent role in right across Europe and I think he sad news of the death of our sitting supporting the then Eastern Bloc would be rightly chuffed to know Board member and former Chair countries who were in the process that. Jack Roche. of application to join the E.U. Jack Jack brought a much-heightened Jack was the first serving Director stepped up as ELARD President awareness of the development of IRD Duhallow to die in service, and took the LEADER message role that heritage and culture plays which meant that he was well to Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Czech in Rural Development. He was known to all the staff. He joined Republic, Slovakia, Romania and passionate about the Sliabh Luachra IRD Duhallow as a Cork County Bulgaria. He received the support heritage of this region. A lifelong Councillor in 1994. From his first of the Department of Community member of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Board meeting, Jack showed his Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and Éireann, which ploughed a lonely enormous capacity to follow the the then Minister Éamon Ó’Cuív. It furrow in recording and documenting agenda having fully briefed himself was a prestigious role for Ireland traditional music, song and dance on all the issues beforehand. to hold and Ireland was well which for many years, modern He gave generously of his time recognised by the Commission as culture saw as a symbol of old first serving on the Agriculture being the forerunners then in our Ireland that needed to be shed and Working Group and was a champion implementation of LEADER and was buried. of the smallholders of Western the primary example of LEADER Jack felt very differently, through Duhallow in particular. He was best practice in Europe. his deep knowledge of old Irish elected Chair of that working groups history and the Irish that same year. language itself. He would Jack was a very active often recommend that we community representative should all read the book when he no longer sat on ‘’How the Irish saved Cork County Council after civilization”, and he was 21 years’ service there. right of course, and wasn’t He was elected to IRD the only one to have Duhallow Board repeatedly that belief as our former to represent Western President the formidable Dr. Duhallow Communities Mary McAleese did a short and chaired our community series of programmes on forum and Community RTE travelling to significant Gerry Kearney, Secretary General for the Department of Development Working sites across Europe Community, Rural, and Gaeltact Affairs congratulates Jack on Group. He was of course highlighting that very fact. becoming president of ELARD. elected Vice-Chair and
By MAURA WALSH
20
DiscoverDuhallow@irdduhallow.com
Issue 105 January 19th, 2024
