I hear the resignation of Eddie Downey and Pat Smith had an airing at the Meath IFA hustings.

Former Meath chair Diarmuid Lally took issue with Tim Cullinan highlighting the issue of falling IFA revenues.

Lally noted that one of the individuals who was part of Cullinan’s campaign launch had been involved in increasing the presidential and staff wages to the levels they had been at.

Meath men

He said this had been a factor that “ended up with both Pat Smith, a Meath man, and Eddie Downey, our president, being chucked out”.

Cullinan replied: “I’m only treasurer the last two years, I can’t go back in history. I always said that man [Eddie Downey] shouldn’t have resigned his position.”

Cullinan said his point was that IFA finances had almost been brought back into positive terms.

However, the number of members moving away would now create a challenge.