O'Rourke throws hat in Euro-ring

Pat O’Rourke, a Longford-based agri-food leader, and regional and rural development specialist, has announced that he is to seek a Fianna Fáil nomination to contest the upcoming European Parliament elections in 2014 for the new Midlands-North-West constituency.

O’Rourke is a former President of ICMSA and is currently the Chairman of the Northern Ireland Livestock and Meat Commission which advised the Northern Ireland Power Sharing Administration on the development of the livestock sector which he sees as a vital economic sector, both north and south.

O’Rourke (58), from Moatfarrell, Co Longford, has first-hand experience of negotiating in Dublin and Brussels on regional and rural development matters as well as the development of the agri-food sector which is a key employer in the Midlands-North-West constituency.

As Chairman of the Northern Ireland Livestock and Meat Commission, O’Rourke has huge experience of managing the pressing issues of the BWM region and also in the wider Midlands-North-West constituency. 

In addition, O’Rourke sees Longford’s central geographical location in the new four-seat Midlands North-West Constituency to be particularly beneficial in the coming election. He is married to Joanne and they have three children.