Death of veteran agricultural journalist, Larry Sheedy

Started 'Lonely Hearts' column in Farmers Journal

The death has occurred of the retired agricultural journalist, Larry Sheedy, a founder of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists of Ireland, who lived in Dunboyne for many years.

In his 90th year, he died today (Saturday) at St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin.

In July, Larry took part in a video to mark the 60th anniversary of the guild, which was shown at the association’s annual meeting, along with current EU Commissioner, Mairead McGuinness, a former agricultural journalist.

Founders with him included Paddy O’Keeffe, Michael Dillon and Con Murphy.

Mr Sheedy worked for the Farmers Journal for many years and wrote a biography of NFA figure, Joe Bruton from Dunboyne, father of former Taoiseach, John – ‘Milestones and Memories: The Life and Times of Joseph Bruton’.

It was Larry Sheedy who started the ‘Lonely Hearts’ column in the Farmers Journal in the 1960s, as he recognised the loneliness and isolation in many parts of rural Ireland and suggested the column would provide a way for people to get together.

Larry Sheedy is survived by his wife, Annette; family, Fin, Niall, Tina and Orla; son-in-law Peter and daughters-in-law Helen and Sumiko, grandchildren Laurence, Carla, Jonathan, Daniel, Áine, Johnny, Dáire and Aislinn, great-grandchildren Annie, Con and Fiadh Rós, nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.