LONGFORD LUNCH 2022

Glennon Brothers were delighted to support the Longford Lunch which took place recently in the Hogan Suite in Croke Park. The event was organised as a fundraiser for Longford GAA.

Glennon Brothers welcomed many of their customers from the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales to join them in Croke Park. Many of the Scottish guests attended in their traditional kilts. Also in attendance on the day were many supply chain partners of Glennon Brothers who generously supported the day. In total 500 people attended, RTE’s Sinead Hussey MC’d for the day and Neil Delamere provided the entertainment. Jack Chambers TD, Minister for Sport and the Gaeltacht, Colm Markey, Member of European Parliament, Joe Flaherty TD, and Larry McCarthy, President of the GAA, were all in attendance.

Mike Glennon in welcoming everyone to Croke Park said that “Over 70% of the tables here today are directly connected to the Irish forestry sector, a sector which is often lost in the shadow of agriculture, but which employs 12,000 people and contributes ¤2.3 billion to the Irish economy”.

“Forestry holds the key to help meet climate change targets, while also providing timber for the much-needed housing market. Using wood in construction is a cost-effective and sustainable solution to combat climate change. Forests are often called the lungs of the earth, because they draw in carbon dioxide and breath out oxygen. Thanks to our favourable climate and soil type, we can grow trees twice as fast as our Scandinavian competitors”.

“We have to ask the difficult question; why, in Ireland today, have we the lowest level of planting since 1946, with a mere 2,000 hectares planted versus a Government target of 8,000 and a climate change target of 18,000 hectares? Are we really serious in Ireland about reaching our climate change commitments?”

“We welcome the new ¤1.3 billion Government Forestry Programme, announced last week, which is a big vote of confidence in the sector. We have some concerns with the balance in the Programme. Grants and premiums for conifer forests should be closer to those for native woodland. Conifer forests give us the scale we need to sequester carbon and fight climate change. In the past, farmers and other landowners stopped planting as the system was too bureaucratic. We hope this is resolved in the new Programme”.

Mike Glennon ended his speech by addressing new Longford manager Paddy Christie in hoping that he would have the Longford football team back on the field in Croke Park in the upcoming season. Glennon Brothers would like to thank everyone who attended the lunch and for supporting Longford GAA.