Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
| Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin | |
|---|---|
 Ó Ríordáin in 2010 | |
| Senator | |
|
Assumed office April 2016 | |
| Constituency | Industrial and Commercial Panel |
| Minister of State for New Communities, Culture and Equality | |
|
Assumed office July 2014 | |
| Taoiseach | Enda Kenny |
| Preceded by | New office |
| Minister of State for the National Drugs Strategy | |
|
Assumed office April 2015 | |
| Taoiseach | Enda Kenny |
| Preceded by | New office |
| Teachta Dála | |
|
In office February 2011 – February 2016 | |
| Constituency | Dublin North–Central |
| Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin | |
|
In office 2006–2007 | |
| Dublin City Councillor | |
|
In office 2004–2009 | |
| Constituency | North Inner City |
|
In office 2009–2011 | |
| Constituency | Clontarf |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 1976 (age 39) Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political party | Labour Party |
| Spouse(s) | Áine Kerr |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
| Website |
www |
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin ([iːaːn̪ˠ oː ˈɾʲiːɾˠd̪ˠaːnʲ]; born July 1976) is an Irish Labour Party Senator.[1] He was elected as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin North–Central constituency at the 2011 general election.[2] He lost his seat at the 2016 general election.[2] He was elected to Seanad Éireann on the Industrial and Commercial Panel in April 2016.
Councillor and TD
Ó Ríordáin was previously a member of Dublin City Council for the North Inner City electoral area from 2004 to 2009 and then the Clontarf electoral area from 2009 to 2011.[2] He served as Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin in 2006, during which time he launched his ‘Right to Read Campaign’ in an effort to challenge the poor literacy rates in disadvantaged areas. This was successful in helping promote local literacy strategies which are still in place, and also opened every library in Dublin City for six days a week.
A move in 2009 to the Clontarf area positioned Ó Ríordáin to run successfully in the Dublin North–Central constituency at the 2011 general election, taking the second seat on the fourth count with 10,192 votes. As a member of the Labour Party backbenches, he served as Vice-Chairperson of the Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection and as a member of both the Finance, Public Expenditure & Reform Committee and the Good Friday Agreement Implementation Committee.
Minister of State
On 15 July 2014 Ó Ríordáin was appointed as Minister of State with responsibility for New Communities, Culture and Equality at the Departments of Justice and Equality and Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.[3] As Minister of State he prioritised reforming the Direct Provision system, ending the legal entitlement of Church-controlled state-funded institutions to discriminate against LGBT people, and he played a key role in the Yes campaign in the 2015 Marriage Equality Referendum.
On 28 April 2013, the Irish Independent reported that Ó Ríordáin was secretly recorded by a pro-life activist as stating that the X-case legislation was only "the starting point", but that he would not state this publicly.[4]
As Minister of State for New Communities Ó Ríordáin coordinated the Polska Éire 2015 festival, which was a week-long cultural and sporting festival in the run-up to the March 2015 Republic of Ireland v. Poland UEFA Qualifier.
In April 2015, Ó Ríordáin was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Health, with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy, in addition to his existing ministerial duties.[5]
Seanad Éireann
Ó Ríordáin's candidacy for the Dáil in the Irish general election, 2016 was unsuccessful. He was subsequently elected to the 25th Seanad on the Industrial and Commercial Panel.[6] He continues his role in the outgoing government as caretaker Minister of State for New Communities, Culture, Equality and Drug Strategy.
Personal life
Ó Ríordáin is a former teacher and was principal of St. Laurence O'Toole's Girls' Primary School. He is married to Áine Kerr, Manager of News Partnerships at Facebook and former Managing Editor of Storyful.[7]
References
- ↑ "Mr. Aodhán Ó Ríordáin". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
- 1 2 3 "Aodhán Ó Ríordáin". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
- ↑ "Simon Harris among new Ministers of State". RTÉ News. 15 July 2014.
- ↑ http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/abortion-tapes-sting-labour-duo-reveal-plan-to-liberalise-law-bit-by-bit-29226554.html
- ↑ "Aodhán Ó Ríordáin to be appointed Minister for Drugs". The Irish Times. 22 April 2015.
- ↑ http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/%C3%B3-riord%C3%A1in-elected-to-seanad-despite-calling-for-its-abolition-1.2627694
- ↑ http://blog.storyful.com/2016/02/10/7553/
External links
| Oireachtas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Seán Haughey (Fianna Fáil) |
Labour Party Teachta Dála for Dublin North–Central 2011–2016 |
Succeeded by Denise Mitchell (Sinn Féin) |
| Incumbent | ||
| Political offices | ||
| New office | Minister of State for New Communities, Culture and Equality 2014–present |
Incumbent |