PADDY LANE:A DAIRY farmer imprisoned during a campaign for farmers' rights, Paddy Lane, who has died aged 77, was a former president of the IFA, an Ireland rugby international, a director of the Bank of Ireland and the Irish Farmers' Journal, an Army officer and a Member of the European Parliament.
Best known for his strong leadership of the country’s most powerful farming organisation from 1976 to 1980, he was much admired for his honesty of purpose, a rare quality in public life.
As IFA president, he used his military training to good effect, overhauling the organisation’s headquarters by setting objectives to improve performance, transforming it into a more effective machine to represent the interests of the farming community.
Current IFA president John Bryan described him as a “powerful voice for farmers”. He recalled that Lane spearheaded the campaign of opposition to the “notorious 2 per cent sales levy” proposed by then minister for finance George Colley.
In the head-to-head confrontation, Lane prevailed and forced the government to back down.
His battle for better conditions and facilities for farmers led to a more receptive attitude at the Department of Agriculture towards the farming lobby. In recognition of his role, he was conferred with honorary life membership of the IFA at a meeting of the Clare executive earlier this year.
Growing up on the family farm at Parteen, four miles from Limerick, he was educated by the Jesuits at Crescent College where he started playing rugby, later joining Old Crescent RFC. Its president, Vincent Banks, said he was the only player to captain the club on three occasions – the 1957-58, 1958-59 and 1960-61 seasons.
Playing for Munster against the All Blacks in 1963, he famously floored an opposing player with a haymaker and the following year won an international cap as hooker against Wales. Joining the Army on leaving school, he was commissioned in 1954 and posted to Clonmel where he served as a platoon commander. Within 18 months, he transferred to Limerick, enabling him to help on the farm as his father had become ill.
He took voluntary retirement and began farming on a full-time basis when his father died. A loyal friend, he kept in touch with former cadet classmates, attending every annual get-together until two years ago.
When a local branch of the National Farmers’ Association, forerunner of the IFA, was formed in 1963, he became immersed in the organisation, first as Munster vice-president, then national vice-president, deputy president and president. Three years later, when militant farmers began a rights campaign, he embarked on the long march to Dublin. Singled out the following year by the authorities, along with neighbouring farmer John Doherty, he was sent to Limerick prison during a go-slow on rates payments by farmers. A picket was staged outside the prison gates every day until he was released.
At the end of his IFA presidency, he joined the Bank of Ireland as a director, a move aimed at developing its links with the farming industry. But party politics was a different matter and no sooner was he elected an MEP for Fianna Fáil in 1989 than his bank directorship was brought to an end. Despite being on the agriculture, fisheries and rural development committee in the parliament, he lost his seat in the next election in 1994.
Having recovered from skin cancer, he remained fit and active and liked nothing more than to spend a Sunday afternoon following the Oakland foot beagles.
Pre-deceased a year ago by his wife, Carmel, he is survived by sons Tommy and David, daughter Liz, and sisters Marie and Nan.
Paddy Lane: born September 7th, 1934; died July 23rd, 2012