Date of Birth: 26th January 1941

Place of Birth: Dingins, Gowna, Co. Cavan

Date Interviewed: 20th August 2009

Summary: John McCabe grew up on a 15-acre farm in Co. Cavan. The land was poor and times were tough – his mother died when John was 16. John joined the Department of Agriculture in 1964 and in September of that year arrived for the first time in Clonegal. He talks of his first impressions of the village that was to become his home and describes the businesses and activities of the area. John rose through the ranks in his chosen career and saw many changes in agricultural practices over the years. He remembers the efforts to eradicate bovine TB which was a big problem in Co. Wexford and talks of his involvement in the beef intervention programme. This led to enormous quantities of meat being put into storage until market prices improved. John worked for 42 years as a civil servant. John is proud of the village that has been his home for so long. Among other things he is chairman of Clonegal Tidy Village Committee and has great hopes for the future of the village.