Seán Gallagher
Encyclopedia
Seán Gallagher is an Irish
entrepreneur, businessman and politician from County Cavan
, Ireland
. He is the founder of the company Smarthomes and has featured as a panellist on RTÉ
's Dragons' Den
. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2011 Irish presidential election.
, County Cavan. Both his parents are deceased, his father John Gallagher came from Killygordon
, County Donegal
and his mother Anne (née Bracken) Gallagher from Tullamore
, County Offaly
. He was born with congenital cataracts. This meant that he was virtually blind, and at the time there was no treatment. He eventually had corrective surgery.
He was educated at Ballyhaise National School and St. Patrick's College, Cavan. He was taught Latin and French by Seán Brady
, who is now the primate of all Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh
. Following his Leaving Certificate
in 1980, he attended Teagasc Agricultural College, Ballyhaise, County Cavan. It was around this time that Gallagher first became involved in Fianna Fáil
. In 1985, he went to NUI Maynooth
where he studied the first professional course in Youth and Community Development.
In the 2008 book 'That'll Never Work', Seán Gallagher wrote: "In 1983, I bought a farm and I was on the way". A neighbouring farmer claimed that Gallaghers' father John had bought 8 acres of land on behalf of Seán. He went on to work as a Youth and Community Development worker, having trained at NUI Maynooth. He began working full time as a political advisor to former Minister for Health Rory O'Hanlon
when he was 28. In 2000 he received an MBA from the University of Ulster
and Dundalk Institute of Technology
. He previously served as the CEO of the Louth County Enterprise Board.
He founded Smarthomes,after receiving large sums of money (about 13M) from the IDA a company which deals with home-related technology, with his business partner Derek Roddy. The company won an InterTradeIreland
/Seedcorn
competition in 2004. Gallagher himself was a finalist in the 2006 Ernst & Young
Entrepreneur of the Year Programme. He is a member of the InterTradeIreland and Drogheda Port boards. In January 2010, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan appointed him to the board of Foras Áiseanna Saothair
(FÁS).
In 2008, he was announced as a judge on the RTÉ One
version of Dragon's Den. He has been a judge since the first series in 2009 and has continued in 2010 and 2011. He also took part in the Charity Lords of the Ring
series in 2009, representing the The National Council of the Blind. He won the charity show.
He was a regular attendee at Fianna Fáil dinners and once attended the famous Fianna Fáil tent at the Galway races.
He married Irene McCausland in 1997, they divorced in 1999. He married his current wife Trish in 2010.
National Executive, having originally joined the party youth wing Ógra Fianna Fáil
when he was aged 19. He resigned from the National Executive in early 2011. In May 2011, The Sunday Business Post
reported that he was likely to seek a nomination in the 2011 Irish presidential election. The Irish Times
subsequently reported that in addition to seeking the support of independents, he was approaching Fianna Fáil Oireachtas
members in order to run as an independent candidate, but with a "semi-detached" relationship with the party.
On 13 June 2011 he began the process of looking for nominations from local authorities, when he addressed a meeting of Leitrim County Council
, followed by Clare County Council
and Longford County Council
on 20 June. While the Fianna Fáil councillors at Longford claimed they had passed a resolution supporting his candidacy, the Fine Gael
group disputed this, saying it had not been voted on. In a June 2011 poll conducted by the Irish League of Credit Unions he garnered 9% support placing him in third position behind David Norris (38%) and Michael D. Higgins
(10%). He received the fourth and final nomination of a local council, thus becoming a candidate for the 2011 presidential election. He handed in his nomination papers on the morning of 27 September 2011.
Appearing on The Late Late Show
alongside the other candidates, Gallagher confirmed that he came from "the Fianna Fáil
gene pool”, and, when asked by Ryan Tubridy
what he thought the most significant piece of legislation in recent years had been, he was unable to give a specific answer. He later defended himself: “It's a little bit like if you were on the Mastermind question or if you were on Larry Gogan
's Just a Minute Quiz. You sort of know all the answers when you're at home but when you're sitting there in a studio . . . ”
On 3 October 2011, The Irish Times reported that, since 2008, Gallagher had been given €41,550 after being appointed to various State boards by Fianna Fáil
ministers. He was also appointed as a director of FÁS
in 2010.
Gallagher launched his presidential campaign at the Royal Hibernian Academy
in Dublin on 2 October 2011.
Although Gallagher was a previous member of Fianna Fáil, in a statement made by the candidate he stated he abhorred many of the decisions made by the previous government. Initially reluctant to criticise Fianna Fáil during the Prime Time debate, Gallagher stated the following day that "the party had moved away from the grassroots".
His previous company Home Wiring Systems (HWS) received a loan of £20,000 from the state funded Louth County enterprise board in 2001. He subsequently transferred the assets of HWS to a new company Smarthomes leaving the debt with HWS. He then refused to repay the loan arguing he was no longer liable for it, despite making substantial profits with Smarthomes. After a three year legal battle, he eventually re-paid the loan to the enterprise board.
On the 27 September 2011 Gallagher announced he was not going to be using lamp post posters throughout his election campaign, in an effort to save taxpayers money and keeping in the spirit of the tidy towns initiative. He has, however, widely used advertising spots in shopping centres.
Gallagher has adopted the use of social media in his campaign as an alternative to posters. He is using social media in an effort to engage with his audience. Out of the election candidates, he currently has the highest number of followers on Facebook and second highest on Twitter.
Gallagher topped a poll with 39%, according to a Red C poll for the Sunday Business Post on 16 October 2011.
Gallagher topped two polls the weekend before the presidential election, which included the Sunday Business Post/Red C opinion poll and the Sunday Times/Behaviour & Attitudes opinion poll. In these polls, Gallagher received 40% and 38% respectively. However, an ESRI Ireland poll for Newstalk on 24 October in the wake of their radio debate put Gallagher in joint second place, on 20%, with Michael D. Higgins
leading, on 38%.
Gallagher's campaign suffered a setback on 24 October when, in the last televised debate before the election, he admitted to collecting a cheque for €5,000 from someone he described as a "convicted criminal and fuel smuggler", for a Fianna Fáil fundraiser event which gave access to Taoiseach Brian Cowen
. The donation was later revealed to be from businessman Hugh Morgan. Gallagher subsequently denied collecting a cheque from Morgan, but refused to answer questions on an illegal loan of €82,829 that he had received from one of his companies, which had also been raised in the 24 October televised debate.
Gallagher received 28.5% of first preference votes in the election, leaving him in second place behind Michael D. Higgins
.
.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
entrepreneur, businessman and politician from County Cavan
County Cavan
County Cavan is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Cavan. Cavan County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
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,...
. He is the founder of the company Smarthomes and has featured as a panellist on RTÉ
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
's Dragons' Den
Dragons' Den
Dragons' Den is a series of reality television programmes featuring entrepreneurs pitching their business ideas in order to secure investment finance from a panel of venture capitalists. The show originated in Japan as "Manē no Tora"...
. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2011 Irish presidential election.
Biography
Gallagher grew up in a family of six in BallyhaiseBallyhaise
-See also:* List of towns and villages in Ireland* List of Market Houses in Ireland...
, County Cavan. Both his parents are deceased, his father John Gallagher came from Killygordon
Killygordon
Killygordon , is a small village in the Finn Valley of east County Donegal, Ireland. It has a population of 114 and is located on the N15 between Ballybofey and Castlefin. The separate townland of the Crossroads lies half a mile from Killygordon, however, they are often regarded as one...
, County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
and his mother Anne (née Bracken) Gallagher from Tullamore
Tullamore
Tullamore is a town in County Offaly, in the midlands of Ireland. It is Offaly's county town and the centre of the district.Tullamore is an important commercial and industrial centre in the region. Major international employers in the town include 'Tyco Healthcare' and 'Boston Scientific'. In...
, County Offaly
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
. He was born with congenital cataracts. This meant that he was virtually blind, and at the time there was no treatment. He eventually had corrective surgery.
He was educated at Ballyhaise National School and St. Patrick's College, Cavan. He was taught Latin and French by Seán Brady
Seán Brady
Seán Baptist Brady is an Irish cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the current Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 2007.-Early life and education:...
, who is now the primate of all Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh
Archbishop of Armagh
The Archbishop of Armagh is the title of the presiding ecclesiastical figure of each of the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland in the region around Armagh in Northern Ireland...
. Following his Leaving Certificate
Leaving Certificate
The Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...
in 1980, he attended Teagasc Agricultural College, Ballyhaise, County Cavan. It was around this time that Gallagher first became involved in 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...
. In 1985, he went to NUI Maynooth
National University of Ireland, Maynooth
The National University of Ireland, Maynooth , was founded by the Universities Act, 1997 as a constituent university of the National University of Ireland. It is Ireland's second oldest university, having been formed from St Patrick's College, Maynooth, itself founded in 1795.The university is...
where he studied the first professional course in Youth and Community Development.
In the 2008 book 'That'll Never Work', Seán Gallagher wrote: "In 1983, I bought a farm and I was on the way". A neighbouring farmer claimed that Gallaghers' father John had bought 8 acres of land on behalf of Seán. He went on to work as a Youth and Community Development worker, having trained at NUI Maynooth. He began working full time as a political advisor to former Minister for Health Rory O'Hanlon
Rory O'Hanlon
Rory O'Hanlon is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Cavan–Monaghan constituency from 1977 until 2011, and also served in a range of cabinet positions and as Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann....
when he was 28. In 2000 he received an MBA from the University of Ulster
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
and Dundalk Institute of Technology
Dundalk Institute of Technology
Dundalk Institute of Technology formerly Regional Technical College, Dundalk is a campus situated in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland, halfway between Dublin and Belfast . The campus is 800 metres from the main Dublin Belfast road and 3 minutes drive from the M1 motorway to Dublin. Dublin Airport...
. He previously served as the CEO of the Louth County Enterprise Board.
He founded Smarthomes,after receiving large sums of money (about 13M) from the IDA a company which deals with home-related technology, with his business partner Derek Roddy. The company won an InterTradeIreland
InterTradeIreland
The Trade and Business Development Body , trading as InterTradeIreland, is one of the six all-Ireland bodies set up following the Belfast Agreement reporting to the North/South Ministerial Council. The body manages and implements programmes to build networks and partnerships on the Island...
/Seedcorn
Seedcorn
Seedcorn is the funding mechanism of the Department for Food Agriculture and Rural Affairs , in the United Kingdom. It is a major funding source for research institutes and a minor source of PhD studentship funding. The majority of the funding goes towards Central Science Laboratory projects....
competition in 2004. Gallagher himself was a finalist in the 2006 Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms, along with Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers ....
Entrepreneur of the Year Programme. He is a member of the InterTradeIreland and Drogheda Port boards. In January 2010, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan appointed him to the board of Foras Áiseanna Saothair
Foras Áiseanna Saothair
An Foras Áiseanna Saothair , referred to in English as the Training and Employment Authority and commonly known as FÁS , is a state agency in Ireland with responsibility for assisting those seeking employment...
(FÁS).
In 2008, he was announced as a judge on the RTÉ One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
version of Dragon's Den. He has been a judge since the first series in 2009 and has continued in 2010 and 2011. He also took part in the Charity Lords of the Ring
Charity Lords of the Ring
Charity Lords of the Ring is an Irish reality television competition, broadcast on RTÉ One. Presented by Lucy Kennedy and ex-boxer Barry McGuigan, the four-part series follows ten personalities compete for their charity of choice, in the field of boxing...
series in 2009, representing the The National Council of the Blind. He won the charity show.
He was a regular attendee at Fianna Fáil dinners and once attended the famous Fianna Fáil tent at the Galway races.
He married Irene McCausland in 1997, they divorced in 1999. He married his current wife Trish in 2010.
2011 presidential campaign
Gallagher is a former member of the Fianna FáilFianna 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...
National Executive, having originally joined the party youth wing Ógra Fianna Fáil
Ógra Fianna Fáil
Ógra Fianna Fáil is the youth wing of Fianna Fáil, a political party in Ireland. Within Fianna Fáil it is simply called Ógra . It was founded in 1975 by party leader Jack Lynch under the guidance of party general secretary, Séamus Brennan. In the Republic, it is active in some major Third Level...
when he was aged 19. He resigned from the National Executive in early 2011. In May 2011, The Sunday Business Post
The Sunday Business Post
The Sunday Business Post is an Irish national Sunday newspaper published by Post Publications Limited. Post Publications is owned by Thomas Crosbie Holdings. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, Ireland, the average weekly circulation was 57,783 for the period January to June 2009. The...
reported that he was likely to seek a nomination in the 2011 Irish presidential election. The Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
subsequently reported that in addition to seeking the support of independents, he was approaching Fianna Fáil Oireachtas
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
members in order to run as an independent candidate, but with a "semi-detached" relationship with the party.
On 13 June 2011 he began the process of looking for nominations from local authorities, when he addressed a meeting of Leitrim County Council
Leitrim County Council
Leitrim County Council is the local authority which is responsible for County Leitrim in Ireland. The Council is responsible for Housing and Community, Roads and Transportation, Urban planning and Development, Amenity and Culture, and Environment....
, followed by Clare County Council
Clare County Council
Clare County Council is the local authority which is responsible for County Clare in Ireland. The Council is responsible for Housing and Community, Roads and Transportation, Urban planning and Development, Amenity and Culture, and Environment....
and Longford County Council
Longford County Council
Longford County Council is the local authority which is responsible for County Longford in Ireland. The Council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment. The head of the council has the title of Mayor...
on 20 June. While the Fianna Fáil councillors at Longford claimed they had passed a resolution supporting his candidacy, the Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
group disputed this, saying it had not been voted on. In a June 2011 poll conducted by the Irish League of Credit Unions he garnered 9% support placing him in third position behind David Norris (38%) and Michael D. Higgins
Michael D. Higgins
Michael Daniel Higgins is the ninth and current President of Ireland, having taken office on 11 November 2011 following victory in the 2011 Irish presidential election. Higgins is an Irish politician, poet, sociologist, author and broadcaster. Higgins was President of the Labour Party until his...
(10%). He received the fourth and final nomination of a local council, thus becoming a candidate for the 2011 presidential election. He handed in his nomination papers on the morning of 27 September 2011.
Appearing on The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
alongside the other candidates, Gallagher confirmed that he came from "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...
gene pool”, and, when asked by Ryan Tubridy
Ryan Tubridy
Ryan Tubridy , affectionately known as "Tubs", is an Irish broadcaster and writer, a presenter of live shows on radio and television in Ireland. He has been described as "one of Ireland's most gifted broadcasters"...
what he thought the most significant piece of legislation in recent years had been, he was unable to give a specific answer. He later defended himself: “It's a little bit like if you were on the Mastermind question or if you were on Larry Gogan
Larry Gogan
Laurence 'Larry' Gogan is an Irish broadcaster working for Raidió Teilifís Éireann . He is a disc jockey on RTÉ 2fm. His show is The Golden Hour, during which Larry plays old favourites and classic songs from yesteryear. Gogan spun the first disc on Radio 2, Like Clockwork by The Boomtown Rats...
's Just a Minute Quiz. You sort of know all the answers when you're at home but when you're sitting there in a studio . . . ”
On 3 October 2011, The Irish Times reported that, since 2008, Gallagher had been given €41,550 after being appointed to various State boards by 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...
ministers. He was also appointed as a director of FÁS
Foras Áiseanna Saothair
An Foras Áiseanna Saothair , referred to in English as the Training and Employment Authority and commonly known as FÁS , is a state agency in Ireland with responsibility for assisting those seeking employment...
in 2010.
Gallagher launched his presidential campaign at the Royal Hibernian Academy
Royal Hibernian Academy
The Royal Hibernian Academy is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823.-History:The RHA was founded as the result of 30 Irish artists petitioning the government for a charter of incorporation...
in Dublin on 2 October 2011.
Although Gallagher was a previous member of Fianna Fáil, in a statement made by the candidate he stated he abhorred many of the decisions made by the previous government. Initially reluctant to criticise Fianna Fáil during the Prime Time debate, Gallagher stated the following day that "the party had moved away from the grassroots".
His previous company Home Wiring Systems (HWS) received a loan of £20,000 from the state funded Louth County enterprise board in 2001. He subsequently transferred the assets of HWS to a new company Smarthomes leaving the debt with HWS. He then refused to repay the loan arguing he was no longer liable for it, despite making substantial profits with Smarthomes. After a three year legal battle, he eventually re-paid the loan to the enterprise board.
On the 27 September 2011 Gallagher announced he was not going to be using lamp post posters throughout his election campaign, in an effort to save taxpayers money and keeping in the spirit of the tidy towns initiative. He has, however, widely used advertising spots in shopping centres.
Gallagher has adopted the use of social media in his campaign as an alternative to posters. He is using social media in an effort to engage with his audience. Out of the election candidates, he currently has the highest number of followers on Facebook and second highest on Twitter.
Gallagher topped a poll with 39%, according to a Red C poll for the Sunday Business Post on 16 October 2011.
Gallagher topped two polls the weekend before the presidential election, which included the Sunday Business Post/Red C opinion poll and the Sunday Times/Behaviour & Attitudes opinion poll. In these polls, Gallagher received 40% and 38% respectively. However, an ESRI Ireland poll for Newstalk on 24 October in the wake of their radio debate put Gallagher in joint second place, on 20%, with Michael D. Higgins
Michael D. Higgins
Michael Daniel Higgins is the ninth and current President of Ireland, having taken office on 11 November 2011 following victory in the 2011 Irish presidential election. Higgins is an Irish politician, poet, sociologist, author and broadcaster. Higgins was President of the Labour Party until his...
leading, on 38%.
Gallagher's campaign suffered a setback on 24 October when, in the last televised debate before the election, he admitted to collecting a cheque for €5,000 from someone he described as a "convicted criminal and fuel smuggler", for a Fianna Fáil fundraiser event which gave access to Taoiseach Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 7 May 2008 to 9 March 2011. He was head of a coalition government led by Fianna Fáil which until 23 January 2011 had the support of the Green Party and independent TDs.Cowen was also leader of Fianna Fáil from 7 May...
. The donation was later revealed to be from businessman Hugh Morgan. Gallagher subsequently denied collecting a cheque from Morgan, but refused to answer questions on an illegal loan of €82,829 that he had received from one of his companies, which had also been raised in the 24 October televised debate.
Gallagher received 28.5% of first preference votes in the election, leaving him in second place behind Michael D. Higgins
Michael D. Higgins
Michael Daniel Higgins is the ninth and current President of Ireland, having taken office on 11 November 2011 following victory in the 2011 Irish presidential election. Higgins is an Irish politician, poet, sociologist, author and broadcaster. Higgins was President of the Labour Party until his...
.
After the election
Numerous Fianna Fáil TDs said Gallagher would make an ideal candidate for the party in the 2014 European Parliament electionEuropean Parliament election, 2014
Elections to the European Parliament will be held in all member states of the European Union during June 2014. It will be the eighth Europe-wide election to the European Parliament since the first direct elections in 1979.- Presidential nominees :...
.