Mr Seamus Hunt, Antogher Road, Roscommon, whose death occurred recently, was Chief Agricultural Officer for County Roscommon from 1963 until his retirement in 1984. Mr Hunt took up the Roscommon post after a five year period as a deputy CAO in County Mayo, which was the first deputy CAO post sanctioned. Son of the late Mr and Mrs Thomas Hunt, Corrigeenroe, Boyle, he was educated at Knockvicar NS and Summerhill College, Sligo. Reared on a small farm, he obtained a scholarship from Summerhill to University College, Galway. He completed his studies at UCD and was conferred with the B.Agr. Sc degree in 1943. His initial role was as a teacher of rural science principally at Boyle Vocational School for a two year period. In the forties, members of the advisory staff were not allowed to take up appointment in the county of origin. His first advisory post was a temporary adviser with Sligo County Committee of Agriculture and in an interview with the Roscommon Herald in 1981 he recalled travelling the rural roads around Sligo visiting farmers on his bicycle. It was followed with an appointment to Clare County Committee of Agriculture for four years and a return to a permanent post in Sligo. He applied for the Deputy CAO post in Mayo in 1959 and was successful. On his return on Roscommon in 1963 he took up residence at Antogher Road, Roscommon with his wife, Teresa (nee Bruen, Crossna, Boyle) and family. When ACOT came into being in 1980 Mr Hunt was the first CAO to serve with ACOT in County Roscommon. Within his residential community of Roscommon his main hobby was Gaelic games and he had a long association with the Roscommon Gaels GAA Club and the Dr Hyde Park Committee and he was pleased that members of his family have continued on the GAA tradition. He served as President of the Roscommon Gaels Club for a number of years. At the June monthly meeting of the County Roscommon Vocational Education Committee in Roscommon. Cllr Sean Beirne proposed a vote of sympathy to the Hunt family on the death of their father. He described the deceased as a lovely gentleman who had a great knowledge of farming and one who promoted agriculture for many decades. Mr Beirne added that the deceased had an excellent knowledge of old farming practices and was regarded by many as an authority on the working of loys. The Committee Chairperson, Cllr Ernie Keenan, associated himself with the vote of sympathy and pointed out that the deceased came from the Boyle environs. Thirty years ago this July, award winning journalist the late Des Maguire of the Farmers Journal, commented to me while attending a function in Galway "Why don't you ask Seamus Hunt?". I cannot recall what point I was making but the response indicated the status which the then Roscommon CAO has within Irish farming circles. Seamus Hunt lived a long and fulfiling life and he saw many changes on the Irish farming scene in his 40 plus work years. I interviewed him personally on a few occasions and he was particularly pleased that with the advent of machinery and mechanisation that the drudgery was gone out of farming by the late sixties. In his role of CAO he acted as secretary to the Roscommon County Committee of Agriculture, which I covered as a reporter for a number of years. He was exceedingly skilful at wording proposals from the Committee to Ministers and the various Government departments. The County Committees of Agriculture ceased to function a few years after his retirement but ACOT had by then come into being as the forerunner of Teagasc. Seamus had excellent listening skills and he was exceedingly receptive to the points of view of others. His staff always had great respect for him within the County Roscommon advisory structures and they acknowledged his decades of experience and manageial skills. I also know that he was very helpful to CAO's in adjoining counties and elsewhere who sought out his counsel. In 1981 I penned a series of articles on "the changing trends in farming in County Roscommon' in the Herald. Seamus and his staff gave me very encouragement and help possible. On many occasions over the years the Herald reporting staff sought out his assistance in respect of some query or other and he always proved most helpful. On my own behalf and all the Herald staff who sought his assistance I extend sincere sympathy to his family. Ní bheidh a leitheid on arís. Courtesy of the Roscommon Herald 1st July 2008 Brian Cunniffe Tweet

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