Josephine adds leader award to MACRA haul
MISS MACRA Josephine O’ Neill added another piece of silverware to her trophy cabinet when she received a prestigious ABP Macra na Feirme leadership award last week.
The home economics teacher, who is a member of Callan Macra in Kilkenny, was crowned Miss Macra in Thurles in August.
Josephine says that joining Macra was inevitable for her as most of her family have been members of the organisation.
“It’s very much a family thing. I have siblings and cousins in Macra and my parents were in it, so it’s nice to have that link. Macra means so much to me and joining was the best thing I ever did,” says Josephine, who teaches at Cross and Passion College in Kilcullen, Co Kildare.
“I have so many friends from Macra now all over the country and there’s always something on.”
Josephine says she is not sporty, and Macra offers her a chance to try a range of hobbies.
“I’ve done debating and public speaking with Macra. There really is something for everyone,” she says.
Josephine has been in Macra for four and a half years; during that time she has been county secretary of Kilkenny Macra and is currently competitions officer in her own club.
She says the main reason she decided to enter Macra titles was that she was always persuading other people to enter. She adds: “I felt I couldn’t be trying to get people to enter competitions if I hadn’t entered myself. I won the Miss Macra titles night in Kilkenny and went to Thurles in August and couldn’t believe when I won the overall event.
“Nobody ever expects to win or enters with the intention of winning. I got the best support from my club.”
Josephine plans to organise a charity fundraiser next summer during the school holidays. She is from a beef farming background and enjoys informing her students of the importance of farm to fork and teaching them practical skills such as cooking and sewing.
Accolades
In May Josephine applied for the Macra leadership awards and was named as one of the three winners of the competition last week. Marie Hartnett from Waterford City Macra and Hannah Driver from Tullow Macra were also awarded the Macra Leadership accolades last week.
Speaking at the awards Macra president James Healy said: “The Leaders of the Year awards recognise the leadership skills of Macra members within their clubs and wider community.
“They recognise the effort, creativity and drive of our members and are a crucial part of the Macra na Feirme leadership programme.”