Irish Farmers Monthly celebrates 50-year milestone

Established in 1974, ‘The Monthly’, as it is fondly known, has been printed uninterrupted ever since. Commenting on this achievement, its editor, Matt O’Keeffe said: “While many other farming-oriented magazines have come and gone, The Monthly has survived and thrived for a half century. That achievement is primarily down to the entrepreneurism, professionalism and tenacity of David Markey and his wife and partner, Mai.
“To mark the fiftieth anniversary of The Monthly, we invited a range of high-profile individuals, many of whom have lived through the most momentous events in Irish and European agriculture over the five decades, to provide their unique insights on developments in Irish agriculture. We thank each of them for their time and for sharing their valued memories, observations, experiences, and knowledge.”
This bumper June issue will be winging its way to readers very soon who will enjoy contributions from: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConologue; director of Teagasc, Professor Frank O’Mara; managing director of the National Ploughing Association, Anna May McHugh; agri-economist, Ciaran Fitzgerald; EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness; former EU commissioner and Fine Gael Minister, Phil Hogan; and many more.

Family ties
David, who joined the title in 1975 – a year after its founding – went on to purchase it in 1976 with his wife, Mai. Fifty years later, and he is still very much involved in the flagship magazine title of his publishing company, IFP Media. David has paid tribute to, and thanked, everyone who has contributed in any way to the magazine and who has supported IFP Media over the years, from employees to advertisers, contributors to collaborators. 
David's daughter, Rebecca Markey, who is chief executive of IFP Media commented: “I am very proud of our flagship title, Irish Farmers Monthly, reaching such a milestone. But a magazine is nothing without the team around it driving it to succeed. We have always believed that with strong content and cutting-edge design, that the readers and commercial support would follow, and this has always been our focus.
“We have been extremely fortunate to have outstanding editors and journalists working on the magazine throughout the years, but the publication as never been in a stronger position. I would like to thank editor, Matt O'Keeffe and deputy editor, Bernie Commins for leading the editorial, design, advertising, digital and admin teams to achieve this.
“Also, a big thank you, to our readers and commercial partners, for the support you have always shown us. Here's to the next 50 years!”