Maurice Quinlivan

Maurice Quinlivan TD
Quinlivan in 2015
Teachta Dála
Incumbent
Assumed office February 2016
Constituency	Limerick City
Limerick City and County Councillor
In office May 2014 – February 2016
Constituency	Limerick City North
Limerick City Councillor
In office 5 June 2009 – 23 May 2014
Succeeded by	Council merged with Limerick County Council
Constituency	Limerick City North
Personal details
Born	1967 Limerick, Ireland
Political party	Sinn Féin
Spouse(s)	Sue Quinlivan
Occupation	Former Travel Agent

Maurice Quinlivan (born 1967) is a Sinn Féin politician and Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick City constituency.^[1] He gained prominence for being libelled by Willie O'Dea while O'Dea was Defence Minister.

Personal life

He was born in Ballynanty and resides in nearby Stenson Park, Limerick with his wife.^[2] His brother Nessan Quinlivan, was a former Provisional IRA volunteer. He has 3 other siblings: older sisters Siobhán and Eimear, and younger sister Clíona.

Political career

He previously ran unsuccessfully as a Sinn Féin candidate at the 2004 local elections for Limerick City Council and for Limerick East at the 2007 general election.^[3] He was elected to Limerick City Council in 2009.

During the 2009 local election campaign Willie O'Dea gave an interview to the Limerick Leader. In response to criticism about the use of Department of Defence resources for constituency work, O'Dea attacked Quinlivan and claimed that Quinlivan was running a brothel.^[4]

Quinlivan responded by launching a High Court defamation challenge against O'Dea. As part of his defence O'Dea swore under oath an affidavit that he had not made this remark.^[5] He was forced to retract his denial after the release of a recording of the conversation in which the allegations were made by O'Dea.^[5] The case was subsequently settled out of court with O'Dea paying an undisclosed sum in damages and apologising for the remarks.^[6] However O'Dea was forced to resign as Minister for Defence over accusations that he had committed perjury.

On the council, Quinlivan has supported an extension of Limerick city's boundary, opposed the planned merger of Limerick City and County Councils^[7] and campaigned for greater resources to tackle Limerick's drug problem.^[8] He, along with Independent councillor and former Mayor of Limerick John Gilligan, are the only two councillors on Limerick City Council to oppose to the Household charge. Both men have refused to pay the charge.^[9][10]

He was a candidate in the Limerick City constituency at the 2011 general election. He received 8.6% of the first preference votes, coming fifth in the four seat constituency ahead of incumbent FF TD Peter Power, and was not elected.^[11] He was re-elected at the 2014 local elections, topping the poll with 24.5% of the vote. He was elected at the 2016 general election taking the second seat.

References

1. http://www.limerickcorp.ie/YourCouncil/ElectedMembers/
2. "News - An Phoblacht". anphoblacht.com.
3. "ElectionsIreland.org: Maurice Quinlivan". electionsireland.org.
4. "Transcript of Willie O'Dea interview". The Irish Times. 18 February 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
5. "Brothel remark Irish defence minister O'Dea resigns". BBC. 18 February 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
6. "O'Dea apologises for defamatory statements". RTÉ. 21 December 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
7. "Councillor - Minister must opt for boundary extension". Limerick Post. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
8. "Heroin Epidemic in City - Quinlivan". Limerick Post. 30 November 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
9. "Low Turnout at protest over household and water taxes". Limerick Leader. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
10. "Councillor Maurice Quinlivan won't pay household charge". Limerick's Live95FM. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
11. http://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/19887