Dominic Hannigan
Encyclopedia
Dominic Hannigan is an Irish
Labour Party
politician and a member of Dáil Éireann
. He was elected as a Teachta Dála
(TD) for the Meath East constituency at the 2011 Irish general election, having previously served in the 23rd Seanad from 2007–11.
, 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. He emigrated from Ireland in the 1980s to look for work. Hannigan returned to Ireland and worked as a Civil Engineer
.
Hannigan is openly
gay
.
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. Hannigan subsequently joined the Labour Party in October 2004, 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
.
. 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.
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. He spoke in favour of a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed Slane bypass in February 2011.
's John Lyons
. It is believed that at least one gay TD preceded them but none had made their sexual orientation publicly known.
The Meath Chronicle
compared Hannigan to Speedy Gonzales
as he "flitted at high speed from one spot to the next" on the campaign trail. He was "followed by a large posse of journalists and camera crews" when party leader Eamon Gilmore joined him during the campaign.
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,...
Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
politician and a member of 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...
. He was elected as 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 Meath East constituency at the 2011 Irish general election, having previously served in the 23rd Seanad from 2007–11.
Early and personal life
Hannigan was born in DroghedaDrogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
, County Louth
County Louth
County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...
. He was educated at 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...
with a degree in Civil Engineering, at the City University London with a Masters in Transport and at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
with a Masters in Finance. He emigrated from Ireland in the 1980s to look for work. Hannigan returned to Ireland and worked as a Civil Engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
.
Hannigan is openly
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
.
Early career (2004–07)
Hannigan entered electoral politics when he was elected as an independentIndependent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
councillor to Meath County Council
Meath County Council
Meath County Council is the local authority which is responsible for County Meath in Ireland. The Council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and the environment. The head of the council has the title of...
for the Slane
Slane
Slane is a village in County Meath, in Ireland. The village stands on a steep hillside on the left bank of the River Boyne at the intersection of the N2 and the N51 . In 2006 Slane's population was 1,099, having grown from 823 in 2002. The population of the village and the surrounding rural area...
electoral area at the 2004 local elections, serving as chairperson of the council's Planning and Economic Development Committee. Hannigan subsequently joined the Labour Party in October 2004, and first stood for Dáil Éireann at the 2005 Meath by-election
Meath by-election, 2005
On 31 October 2004, the Teachta Dála for Meath, John Bruton, officially resigned as a member of Dáil Éireann to take up his new position as European Union Ambassador to the United States. His resignation resulted in the need for a by-election...
, which saw the Labour vote increase by over 3,000 first preference votes since 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...
. His next election was the 2007 general election, again missing out on the third seat, this time to Thomas Byrne
Thomas Byrne (Meath politician)
Thomas Byrne is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was elected to Seanad Éireann in April 2011. He was previously a Teachta Dála for the Meath East constituency from 2007 to 2011.-Personal life:...
.
Seanad Éireann (2007–11)
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 ÉireannSeanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...
. In Seanad Éireann he was the Labour Party Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
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
Eamon Gilmore
Eamon Gilmore is an Irish Labour Party politician and the current Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. He has been the Leader of the Labour Party since September 2007, and a Teachta Dála for the Dún Laoghaire constituency since 1989, first with the Workers' Party of Ireland, and...
following the resignation of Pat Rabbitte
Pat Rabbitte
Pat Rabbitte is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources since March 2011...
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.
In 2011, he said that population growth during the Celtic Tiger
Celtic Tiger
Celtic Tiger is a term used to describe the economy of Ireland during a period of rapid economic growth between 1995 and 2007. The expansion underwent a dramatic reversal from 2008, with GDP contracting by 14% and unemployment levels rising to 14% by 2010...
years was more dramatic in Meath than elsewhere in Ireland and that this was having a profound effect on the county's education system. He spoke in favour of a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed Slane bypass in February 2011.
Dáil Éireann (2011–present)
At the 2011 general election, Hannigan topped the poll in Meath East. 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 WestDublin North West (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin North–West is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies...
's John Lyons
John Lyons (Dublin politician)
John Lyons is an Irish Labour Party politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North West constituency at the 2011 general election...
. It is believed that at least one gay TD preceded them but none had made their sexual orientation publicly known.
The Meath Chronicle
Meath Chronicle
The Meath Chronicle is a local newspaper serving County Meath, Ireland and based in the town of Navan. Publication is weekly and the circulation as of 2008 was 14,651.- External links :* * at Irish Newspaper Archives...
compared Hannigan to Speedy Gonzales
Speedy Gonzales
Speedy Gonzales is an animated caricature of a mouse in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico" with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fast and speaking with an exaggerated Mexican accent...
as he "flitted at high speed from one spot to the next" on the campaign trail. He was "followed by a large posse of journalists and camera crews" when party leader Eamon Gilmore joined him during the campaign.