Dominic Hannigan

Dominic Hannigan
Teachta Dála
In office
February 2011 – February 2016
Constituency Meath East
Senator
In office
July 2007 – February 2011
Constituency Industrial and Commercial Panel
Personal details
Born July 1965 (1965-07) (age 51)
Drogheda, Louth, Ireland
Nationality Irish
Political party Labour Party
Alma mater University College Dublin,
City University London,
University of London
Profession Former Civil engineer
Website www.dominichannigan.com

Dominic Hannigan (born July 1965) is an Irish Labour Party politician who was a member of Dáil Éireann[1] from 2011 to 2016.[2] He was elected as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Meath East constituency at the 2011 general election,[3] having previously served in Seanad Éireann from 2007 to 2011.

Early life

Hannigan was born in Drogheda, County Louth. He was educated at University College Dublin with a degree in Civil Engineering, at the City University London with a Masters in Transport and at the University of London with a Masters in Finance.[4] He emigrated from Ireland in the 1980s to look for work.[5] Hannigan returned to Ireland and worked as a Civil engineer.

Political career

Early years: 2004–2007

Hannigan entered electoral politics when he was elected as an independent councillor to Meath County Council for the Slane electoral area at the 2004 local elections, serving as chairperson of the council's Planning and Economic Development Committee.[6] Hannigan subsequently joined the Labour Party in October 2004,[7] and first stood for Dáil Éireann at the 2005 Meath by-election, which saw the Labour vote increase by over 3,000 first preference votes since the 2002 general election. His next election was the 2007 general election, again missing out on the third seat, this time to Thomas Byrne.[8]

Seanad Éireann: 2007–2011

As part of an election pact between Labour and Sinn Féin for the 2007 Seanad election, Hannigan was elected on the first count, to the Industrial and Commercial Panel of Seanad Éireann.[9] In Seanad Éireann he was the Labour Party Whip and spokesperson on Commuter Issues, Environment and Local Government, Foreign Affairs and Defence.

He was one of the first members of the Oireachtas to support the candidacy of Eamon Gilmore following the resignation of Pat Rabbitte as leader of the Labour Party on 23 August 2007. He subsequently became the Chairman of Eamon Gilmore's leadership campaign to become leader.

In September 2007, he submitted proposals to the Department of Environment and Local Government for town councils for Ashbourne and the Meath coastal area and called for the abolition of county managers.[10]

In 2011, he said that population growth during the Celtic Tiger years was more dramatic in Meath than elsewhere in Ireland and that this was having a profound effect on the county's education system.[11] He spoke in favour of a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed Slane bypass in February 2011.[12]

Dáil Éireann: 2011–2016

At the 2011 general election, Hannigan topped the poll in Meath East.[13] In doing so Hannigan became one of the first two openly gay people to be elected to Dáil Éireann, a distinction he shares with Dublin North-West's John Lyons.[14] It was believed that at least one gay TD preceded them but none had made their sexual orientation publicly known at this stage.[15]

The Meath Chronicle compared Hannigan to Speedy Gonzales as he "flitted at high speed from one spot to the next" on the campaign trail.[16] He was "followed by a large posse of journalists and camera crews" when party leader Eamon Gilmore joined him during the campaign.[17]

Hannigan was elected Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement in June 2011.

In January 2012, Hannigan was elected Chairman of the Joint Committee on EU Affairs, following which he stepped down as Chairman of the Good Friday Agreement Committee.[18] In a television interview broadcast in April 2012,[19] he confirmed that the 99.8% state owned bank, Allied Irish Banks, had paid one and a half billion Euro to unsecured bank bondholders[20] for which neither the bank nor the Irish state had no legal liability.[21][22]

He lost his seat at the 2016 general election.[7]

Personal life

Hannigan is openly gay.[23]

References

  1. ↑ "Meet your 76 new TDs". RTÉ News. 9 March 2011.
  2. ↑ "Mr. Dominic Hannigan". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  3. ↑ Lynch, Suzanne (26 February 2011). "Labour's Hannigan tops Meath East poll". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  4. ↑ "About Dominic". DominicHannigan.com. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
  5. ↑ "Dominic Hannigan". Meath Chronicle. 23 February 2011.
  6. ↑ "Meath by-election". RTÉ News. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
  7. 1 2 "Dominic Hannigan". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  8. ↑ "Meath East: Hannigan pins his hopes on Breakfast Roll Man's support". Irish Independent. 11 February 2011.
  9. ↑ "No NUI candidate elected to Seanad yet". RTÉ News. 25 July 2007.
  10. ↑ "Senator proposes town councils for Ashbourne and the coast". Meath Chronicle. 29 September 2007.
  11. ↑ "Population boom having hugh effect on schools: Meath's education needs have changed dramatically, says Hannigan". Meath Chronicle. 3 February 2011.
  12. ↑ Keogh, Elaine (19 February 2011). "Labour Senator tells Slane bypass hearing of value for money". The Irish Times.
  13. ↑ Lynch, Suzanne (26 February 2011). "Labour's Hannigan tops Meath East poll". The Irish Times.
  14. ↑ "First openly gay TDs are proud to blaze a trail". Evening Herald. 1 March 2011.
  15. ↑ "Ireland elects first openly gay TD". lezgetreal.com. February 2011. At the time, the editor of the Gay Community News told reporters at the Irish Independent that there was, definitely, a gay TD in office but that this is somebody who has had a long career, of which being gay has not been a part.
  16. ↑ "No stopping Labour senator on flight from door to door". Meath Chronicle. 23 February 2011.
  17. ↑ "Gilmore gets a grilling from Dunboyne students". Meath Chronicle. 16 February 2011.
  18. ↑ "TheLabour Party – Hannigan Elected Chair of European Affairs Committee". 30 January 2012.
  19. ↑ "Tonight with Vincent Browne". TV3. 26 April 2012 – via YouTube.
  20. ↑ "AIBrepays €1.5bn to unsecured bondholders". 12 April 2012.
  21. ↑ "Credit Institutions (Eligible Liabilities Guarantee) Scheme". 2009.
  22. ↑ "Extension of the Eligible Liabilities Guarantee(ELG) Scheme and introduction of the option to make unguaranteed deposits". 16 November 2011.
  23. ↑ "Where are all the gay politicians?". Irish Independent. 15 July 2006. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
Oireachtas
Preceded by
Mary Wallace
(Fianna Fáil)		 Labour Party Teachta Dála for Meath East
2011–2016 		Incumbent
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