Charlie McConalogue
Charlie McConalogue | |
|---|---|
 McConalogue in 2022 | |
| Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine | |
| Assumed office 2 September 2020 | |
| Taoiseach | |
| Preceded by | Micheál Martin(acting) |
| Minister of State | |
| 2020 | Justice |
| Teachta Dála | |
| Assumed office February 2016 | |
| Constituency | Donegal |
| In office February 2011–February 2016 | |
| Constituency | Donegal North-East |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles McConalogue 29 October 1977[1] Letterkenny,County Donegal,Ireland |
| Political party | Fianna Fáil |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
Charles McConalogue(born 29 October 1977) is an IrishFianna Fáilpolitician who has served asMinister for Agriculture, Food and the Marinesince September 2020. He has been aTeachta Dála(TD) for theDonegalconstituency since the2016 general election,and previously from 2011 to 2016 for theDonegal North-Eastconstituency. He previously served asMinister of State for Law Reformfrom July 2020 to September 2020.[2]
Early life
[edit]McConalogue has a degree in economics, politics and history fromUniversity College Dublin(UCD), which he completed after a year as Education Officer in theUCD Students' Union.After graduation, he worked as a political organiser at the Fianna Fáil HQ in Dublin. Upon the death of his father, he returned home to manage the family farm nearCarndonaghin the north ofInishowen,County Donegal.[3]
He was raised nearGleneely,[4]a village in the north of Inishowen, and was in Australia before returning to the farm. He is married with two sons.[5]
Political career
[edit]
McConalogue was elected toDonegal County Councilat the2009 local electionsto represent the Inishowen local electoral area.[6]
AfterJim McDaid's retirement andNiall Blaney's decision to step down from politics for personal reasons, Fianna Fáil had no sitting TD in Donegal North-East to contest the2011 general election.The party chose McConalogue as Fianna Fáil's sole candidate for the constituency.
In the election, he won 17.4% of the first-preference vote and was elected on the 9th count to fill the third and final seat, behindSinn Féin'sPádraig Mac LochlainnandFine Gael'sJoe McHugh.[7]He was the Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Children from April 2011 to July 2012. In July 2012, he was appointed as party spokesperson on Education and Skills.
In the 2016 general election, after a redrawing of constituency boundaries, McConalogue ran alongsidePat "the Cope" Gallagheras one of two Fianna Fáil candidates in the new five-seater Donegal constituency. McConalogue topped the poll and was elected on the first count.[8]
He represented Fianna Fáil intalks on government formationin 2016.[9]
On 1 July 2020, McConalogue was appointed as aMinister of State at the Department of Justicewith responsibility for law reform.[10]On 2 September that year, he was appointed as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, with the vacancy having arisen following theOireachtas Golf Society scandal.[11]
It emerged in December 2020 that McConalogue had tested positive forCOVID-19after returning from Brussels on 17 December, prompting all ministers in the Government to restrict their movements. The initial result was negative. He went shopping in Dublin hours ahead of a scheduled five-day follow-up COVID-19 test which led to the positive result he received on 23 December. He displayed no symptoms and isolated in his native Donegal.[12][13]
McConalogue had been due to travel to Canada for St Patrick's Day in March 2022. However, he later confirmed that a positive COVID-19 test had prevented him from doing so. His period of isolation elapsed in time for him to sit on the "VIP lorry" at the parade inBuncrana.[14]
On 17 December 2022, he was re-appointed to the same position following Leo Varadkar's appointment as Taoiseach.[15]
References
[edit]- ^Tim Ryan (2020).Nealon's Guide to the 33rd Dáil and 26th Seanad and the 2019 Local and European Elections.Grand Canal Publishing.OCLC1301145250.
- ^"Charlie McConalogue".Oireachtas Members Database.Archivedfrom the original on 5 August 2018.Retrieved20 March2011.
- ^Fionnan Sheahan (9 February 2011)."Donegal North-East: Wipeout feared as FF reduced to one candidate".Irish Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 17 February 2011.Retrieved27 February2011.
- ^"McConalogue appointed as new Agriculture Minister".donegalnews.com.2 September 2020.Retrieved10 October2021.
- ^McConnell, Daniel (2 September 2020)."Charlie McConalogue — The quiet man who has a chance to shine".Irish Examiner.Archivedfrom the original on 4 September 2020.Retrieved2 September2020.
- ^"Candidates 2011: Charlie McConalogue".TheJournal.ie.Archivedfrom the original on 13 February 2011.Retrieved27 February2011.
- ^"Charlie McConalogue".ElectionsIreland.org.Archivedfrom the original on 12 March 2011.Retrieved20 March2011.
- ^"Donegal count: Independent Thomas Pringle takes final seat".The Irish Times.28 February 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 29 February 2016.Retrieved29 February2016.
- ^McGee, Harry (12 March 2016)."Fianna Fáil's negotiating team for government talks revealed".The Irish Times.Archivedfrom the original on 16 May 2016.Retrieved12 May2016.
- ^"These are the 17 new junior ministers completing the government".Irish Examiner. 1 July 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 2 July 2020.Retrieved2 September2020.
- ^Keaveny, Michael (2 September 2020)."Charlie McConalogue named as new Minister for Agriculture".Irish Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 3 September 2020.Retrieved2 September2020.
- ^O'Connell, Hugh; Molony, Senan; McQuinn, Cormac (24 December 2020)."Minister who tested positive for Covid after shopping trip 'followed all rules'".Irish Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2021.Retrieved7 January2021.
- ^McNulty, Fran (23 December 2020)."Agriculture Minister tests positive for Covid-19".RTÉ News and Current Affairs.Archivedfrom the original on 23 December 2020.Retrieved23 December2020.
- ^"'Ill wind' keeps McConalogue at home on St Patrick's Day ".Donegal Daily. 19 March 2022.Retrieved19 March2022.
- ^Lehane, Micheál (17 December 2022)."Reshuffle: Who is in the new Cabinet?".RTÉ News.Retrieved18 December2022.
External links
[edit]- 1977 births
- Living people
- Alumni of University College Dublin
- Fianna Fáil TDs
- 20th-century Irish farmers
- Members of Donegal County Council
- Members of the 31st Dáil
- Members of the 32nd Dáil
- Members of the 33rd Dáil
- Politicians from County Donegal
- Ministers of State of the 33rd Dáil
- Ministers for agriculture of Ireland
- People educated at Carndonagh Community School
- People from Carndonagh
- Fianna Fáil local councillors