This day 50 years ago farmers from all corners of the country travelled to Dublin on foot calling for more rights.
Joe Dunphy led that campaign from Sligo being the head of what was called the National Farmer’s Association at the time.
About twenty men joined him setting off from Quigleys in Collooney and they were joined by othersalong the way including a group from Leitrim led by Leitrim Chair at the time Hugh Leddy.
They joined other farming activists in Merrion square on the 6th of December where they staged a 21 day protest.
The demonstration which led to the formation of the Irish Farmers Association is seen as one of the most significant actions of Irish farmers ever.
The head of the national organisation at the time was a man Rickard Deasy from county Tipperary.
His son Ruaidhri Deasy attended the Sligo commemoration of this event in Enniscrone on Sunday.
He told Ocean FM that his father was inspired by the campaigns internationally at the time including that of Martin Luther King – he outlines what motivated farmers to take such a drastic step:
