Leadership Training
Macra na Feirme's Leadership Training Programme is supported by Bank of Ireland and the Department of Education under the National Development Plan. The programme aims to provide opportunities for members to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes necessary for a leadership position in Macra and/or in some other organisation. The programme is clearly focused and well structured and adds significantly to the range of learning opportunities available to members through participation in Macra na Feirme. Training occurs at club, county and national level.
Club Officer Training
Training happens in two stages: Autumn and Spring. In Autumn, newly-appointed club officers from each vice-presidential region come together for a residential weekend of training to provide them with the skills required for club officer positions such as Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and PRO. Spring training includes areas such as motivation, teamwork, strategic planning, club analysis, delegation and programme planning.
County Officer Training
County officer training occurs annually in September and focuses primarily on officer skills and strategic planning. Training provides officers with the skills required for county officer positions such as Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, PRO, Competitions, Development, Young Farmer, Sports and Social, and Travel.
The county training weekend is also the venue for the presentation of the Bank of Ireland County Leadership Distinction awards, which are presented to officers in recognition of their previous year's work.
2011 NLA
The Macra na Feirme’s National Leadership Awards, which are kindly sponsored by Bank of Ireland, are organised as part of Macra’s Leadership Training Programme, aims to provide opportunities for members to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes necessary for leadership positions either in Macra or in other voluntary roles or future occupations.
Six finalists are chosen to go through to the national final, and three overall winners are announced at the national finals at the Bank of Ireland Business Banking Headquarters in Dublin.
This year's winners were:
- Michelle O’Callaghan, Knockraha Macra Club, Seandun, Cork
- Mary Brennan, Kilkenny City Macra Club, Kilkenny
- James Boland, Ballycoog Macra club, Wicklow
The other finalists in the competition were:
- Padraig Og Mulligan, Midway Macra club, Sligo
- Deirdre Healy, Glanmire Macra club, Seandun, Cork
- Sean Doorley, Tarmonbarry Macra club Roscommon
