Ciarán Cuffe
Encyclopedia
Ciarán Cuffe is an Irish
Green Party
politician, an architect and a lecturer in planning. He was a Teachta Dála
(TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency
from 2002 to 2011, and served as Minister of State
for Horticulture; Sustainable Travel; and Planning and Heritage from 2010 to 2011.
.
His mother was Ethel Skakel Kennedy
's sister. His cousins include the children of Skakel and Robert F. Kennedy
. His granduncle was the Fianna Fáil
TD Patrick Little
.
, Gonzaga College
in Ranelagh
, the University of Maine
at Orono
, University College Dublin
, and the University of Venice
. He has degrees in architecture and town planning from University College Dublin. He lectured in urban planning at the Dublin Institute of Technology
, Bolton Street.
in 1991 and 1999 for the South Inner City electoral area.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Dublin Central
constituency at the 1997 general election
, but was elected to Dáil Éireann
at the 2002 general election
for the Dún Laoghaire
constituency.
In June 2003, he stepped down as the Green party's environment spokesperson after it was revealed that he held shares worth $70,000 in a number of oil exploration companies which he had inherited when his late mother had left him $1.3 million in her will. He was re-elected at the 2007 general election.
Just after the general election on 28 May 2007, he wrote on his blog: "A deal with Fianna Fáil
would be a deal with the Devil
. We would be spat out after 5 years, and decimated as a party".
On 23 March 2010, following a cabinet reshuffle, he was appointed as Minister of State
at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Department of Transport
and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government with special responsibility for Horticulture
; Sustainable Travel; and Planning and Heritage.
While in office, he enacted the Planning & Development (Amendment) Act 2010 to address land-use planning failures and over-zoning of development land. The new legislation reformed the way development plans and local area plans are made and, for the first time in Irish legislation included a definition of 'Anthropogenic Climate Change' and required energy use to be taken into account in planning decisions. He also published an update of the National Spatial Strategy.
He promoted healthy eating for children, school gardens and local markets. He published laws to address climate change and noise pollution, and heritage protection. This January he launched a new policy to allow bicycles on off-peak DART
trains.
He resigned as Minister of State on 23 January 2011 when the Green Party withdrew from government. He lost his seat in the 2011 general election, losing his deposit.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
Green Party
Green Party (Ireland)
The Green Party is a green political party in Ireland. It was founded as the Ecology Party of Ireland in 1981 by Dublin teacher Christopher Fettes. The party became the Green Alliance in 1983 and in 1987 was renamed to its current title in English...
politician, an architect and a lecturer in planning. He was a Teachta Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
(TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency
Dún Laoghaire (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dún Laoghaire is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
from 2002 to 2011, and served as Minister of State
Minister of State (Ireland)
A Minister of State in Ireland is of non-Cabinet rank, attached to one or more Departments of State of the Government of Ireland....
for Horticulture; Sustainable Travel; and Planning and Heritage from 2010 to 2011.
Background
Born in Shankill, DublinShankill, Dublin
Shankill is a suburb in the South-East of Dublin located in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County, Ireland. It has a population of 13,242 .-History:-Name:...
.
His mother was Ethel Skakel Kennedy
Ethel Skakel Kennedy
Ethel Skakel Kennedy is the widow of Robert F. Kennedy, who served as Attorney General of the United States and a United States Senator for the state of New York.-Early life:...
's sister. His cousins include the children of Skakel and Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
. His granduncle was the Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
TD Patrick Little
Patrick Little
Patrick J. "P. J." Little was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. A founder-member of the party, he served in a number of Cabinet positions, most notably as the country's longest-serving Minister for Posts and Telegraphs....
.
Education
Cuffe attended the Children's House Montessori School in StillorganStillorgan
Stillorgan , formerly a village in its own right, is now a suburban area of Dublin in Ireland. Stillorgan is located in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County, and contains many housing estates, shops and other facilities, with the old village centre still present...
, Gonzaga College
Gonzaga College
Gonzaga College is a private Roman Catholic boys' secondary school in Ranelagh, Dublin, Ireland , under the trusteeship of the Society of Jesus . Founded in 1950, the curriculum is traditional, with a broad general programme of subjects including Latin and Greek at junior cycle and the opportunity...
in Ranelagh
Ranelagh
Ranelagh is a residential area and urban village on the south side of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the postal district of Dublin 6. It is in the local government electoral area of Rathmines and the Dáil Constituency of Dublin South-East.-History:...
, the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
at Orono
Orono, Maine
Orono is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. It was first settled in 1774 and named in honor of Chief Joseph Orono of the Penobscot Nation. It is home to The University of Maine. The population was 10,362 at the 2010 census.- Geography :...
, University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
, and the University of Venice
University of Venice
Ca' Foscari University is a university in Venice, northern Italy. It was founded in 1868 as the first Italian business college. The main building of the University, Ca’ Foscari Palace, is placed in a strategic position on the bend of the Grand Canal, in the heart of the city...
. He has degrees in architecture and town planning from University College Dublin. He lectured in urban planning at the Dublin Institute of Technology
Dublin Institute of Technology
Dublin Institute of Technology was established officially in 1992 under the but had been previously set up in 1978 on an ad-hoc basis. The institution can trace its origins back to 1887 with the establishment of various technical institutions in Dublin, Ireland...
, Bolton Street.
Early political activism
He joined the Green Party in 1982, and campaigned with Students Against the Destruction of Dublin in the 1980s. Cuffe was twice elected to Dublin City CouncilDublin City Council
Dublin City Council is the local authority for the city of Dublin in Ireland. It has 52 members and is the largest local authority in Ireland. Until 2001, it was known as Dublin Corporation.-Legal status:...
in 1991 and 1999 for the South Inner City electoral area.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Dublin Central
Dublin Central (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin Central is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
constituency at the 1997 general election
Irish general election, 1997
The Irish general election of 1997 was held on Friday, 6 June 1997. The 166 newly elected members of the 28th Dáil assembled on 26 June 1997 when a new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
, but was elected to Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
at the 2002 general election
Irish general election, 2002
The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday, 17 May 2002 just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern...
for the Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dún Laoghaire is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
constituency.
In June 2003, he stepped down as the Green party's environment spokesperson after it was revealed that he held shares worth $70,000 in a number of oil exploration companies which he had inherited when his late mother had left him $1.3 million in her will. He was re-elected at the 2007 general election.
In government
Following the 2007 Irish general election, the Irish Green Party formed a coalition government with two other political parties and a number of independent TDs.Just after the general election on 28 May 2007, he wrote on his blog: "A deal with Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
would be a deal with the Devil
Deal with the Devil
Deal With The Devil is the fifth studio album by the American heavy metal band Lizzy Borden released in 2000 .A return to form, featuring a cover by Todd McFarlane.2 covers were recorded...
. We would be spat out after 5 years, and decimated as a party".
On 23 March 2010, following a cabinet reshuffle, he was appointed as Minister of State
Minister of State (Ireland)
A Minister of State in Ireland is of non-Cabinet rank, attached to one or more Departments of State of the Government of Ireland....
at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Department of Transport
Department of Transport (Ireland)
The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport is a department of the Government of Ireland that is responsible for transport policy and overseeing transport services and infrastructure. The Department is led by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport who is assisted by two Ministers of State...
and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government with special responsibility for Horticulture
Minister of State (with special responsibility for Food and Horticulture)
The Minister of State for Food, Horticulture and Food Safety is a junior ministerial post in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine of the Government of Ireland...
; Sustainable Travel; and Planning and Heritage.
While in office, he enacted the Planning & Development (Amendment) Act 2010 to address land-use planning failures and over-zoning of development land. The new legislation reformed the way development plans and local area plans are made and, for the first time in Irish legislation included a definition of 'Anthropogenic Climate Change' and required energy use to be taken into account in planning decisions. He also published an update of the National Spatial Strategy.
He promoted healthy eating for children, school gardens and local markets. He published laws to address climate change and noise pollution, and heritage protection. This January he launched a new policy to allow bicycles on off-peak DART
Dublin Area Rapid Transit
The Dublin Area Rapid Transit is part of the suburban railway network in Ireland, running mainly along the coastline of Dublin Bay on the Trans-Dublin route, from Greystones in County Wicklow, through Dublin to Howth and Malahide in County Dublin.Trains are powered via a 1500V DC overhead catenary...
trains.
He resigned as Minister of State on 23 January 2011 when the Green Party withdrew from government. He lost his seat in the 2011 general election, losing his deposit.
Local work
Cuffe set up the "Vision for Dún Laoghaire" group to attract new businesses and shops, brighten up the town, and save the Festival of World Cultures.External links
- Ciarán Cuffe's official website
- Ciarán Cuffe's blog
- Ciarán Cuffe's page on the Green Party website
- 'Failed planning gave us Nama - Cuffe'
- Land zoned for housing to fall by 70%, says Minister
- Councillor says Cuffe's allegations 'outrageous'
- Retail plan shows developers have learnt nothing, says Cuffe
- President urged to intervene as late change to planning Act sparks fears
- Dezoning back to agricultural land should only be as 'a last resort' - Cuffe