Ciarán Cuffe (born 3 April 1963) is an Irish politician who is a

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

(MEP) from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

for the

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

constituency since July 2019. He is a member of the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

, part of the

European Green Party The European Green Party (EGP), also referred to as European Greens, is the European political party that represents national parties from across Europe who share Green values. The European Greens works closely with the Greens–European Fre ...

. He previously served as a

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In o ...

from 2010 to 2011. He was a

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( , ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament). It is the equivalent of terms such as ''Member of Parli ...

(TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency from 2002 to 2011.

Background and personal life

He was born in

Shankill, Dublin Shankill () is an outlying suburb of Dublin, Ireland, situated in the administrative area of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. Located in the southeast of the historic County Dublin, close to the border with County Wicklow, it has a population of 14 ...

, the son of Luan Peter Cuffe and Patricia Sistine Skakel. Luan Cuffe was an architect who was involved in town planning for

Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built following the 1816 legislation that allowed the building of a major port to serve Dubli ...

and

Wicklow Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has ...

before taking over his brother-in-law's

architectural practice In the United States, an architectural firm or architecture firm is a business that employs one or more licensed architects and practices the profession of architecture; while in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark and other countri ...

. Luan Cuffe trained in

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

under Walter Gropius where he met Patricia Skakel whom he married. Through his mother Patricia, Cuffe is a grandson of

George Skakel George Skakel (July 16, 1892 – October 3, 1955) was an American businessman and the founder of Great Lakes Carbon Corporation, part of SGL Carbon. He was the father-in-law of Robert F. Kennedy Early life and career Skakel was born in Chicago, I ...

, a founder of Great Lakes Carbon Corporation, and a nephew of

Ethel Skakel Kennedy Ethel Kennedy (' Skakel; born April 11, 1928) is an American human rights advocate. She is the widow of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, a sister-in-law of President John F. Kennedy, and the sixth child of George Skakel and Ann Brannack. Shortly a ...

. His cousins include the children of Ethel and

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, ...

. Cuffe's granduncle was the

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian- ...

Patrick Little Patrick John Little (17 June 1884 – 16 May 1963) 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. ...

, and his great-granduncle

Philip Francis Little Philip Francis Little (1824 – October 21, 1897) was the first Premier of Newfoundland between 1855 and 1858. He was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Little studied law there with Charles Young and was admitted to the bar in ...

was the first Prime Minister of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

in 1854. Cuffe is a member of the Dublin Cycling Campaign and has cycled coast-to-coast across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Education

He attended the Children's House Montessori School in

Stillorgan Stillorgan (, also ''Stigh Lorcáin'' and previously ''Tigh Lorcáin'' or ''Teach Lorcáin''), formerly a village in its own right, is now a suburban area of Dublin in Ireland. Stillorgan is located in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, and contains ma ...

Gonzaga College Gonzaga College SJ is a voluntary Catholic boys' secondary school in Ranelagh, Dublin, Ireland. Founded in 1950, Gonzaga College is under the trusteeship of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit Order), one of five Jesuit secondary schools in Irela ...

Ranelagh Ranelagh ( , ; ) is an affluent residential area and urban village on the Southside of Dublin, Ireland in the postal district of D06. History The district was originally a village known as Cullenswood just outside Dublin, surrounded by lande ...

, the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universities, flagshi ...

at Orono,

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

, and the

University of Venice Ca' Foscari University of Venice ( it, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, simply Università Ca' Foscari) is a public university in Venice, Italy. Since its foundation in 1868, it has been housed in the Venetian Gothic palace of Ca' Foscari, from w ...

. Cuffe has degrees in architecture and urban planning from

. He teaches a masters programme in urban regeneration & development at the

Dublin Institute of Technology Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT, ga, Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Bhaile Átha Cliath) was a major third-level institution in Dublin, Ireland. On 1 January 2019 DIT was dissolved and its functions were transferred to the Technological Un ...

, Bolton Street. In 2019 he completed an MSc in cities at the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

Political career

Early political activism

Cuffe joined the

in 1982, and campaigned with Students Against the Destruction of Dublin in the 1980s. He was twice elected to

Dublin City Council Dublin City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the authority responsible for local government in the city of Dublin in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the council wa ...

, in 1991 and 1999, for the South Inner City electoral area. In 1996, he launched a free bikes scheme in which bicycles were placed around Dublin city centre for use by the public.

Dáil Éireann (1997–2010)

He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Dublin Central constituency at the 1997 general election, but was elected to the

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...

(lower house) at the 2002 general election for the

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. Following the 2007 election, the Green Party formed a coalition government with two other political parties and a number of independent TDs. Just after the election, on 28 May 2007, he wrote in his blog: "A deal with

would be a

deal with the Devil A deal with the Devil (also called a Faustian bargain or Mephistophelian bargain) is a cultural motif exemplified by the legend of Faust and the figure of Mephistopheles, as well as being elemental to many Christian traditions. According to t ...

. We would be spat out after 5 years, and decimated as a party." He lost his seat at the 2011 general election.

Minister of State (2010–2011)

On 23 March 2010, as part of a reshuffle, he was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, at the Department of Transport and at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, with special responsibility for Horticulture, Sustainable Travel, and Planning and Heritage. While Cuffe was minister, the

Oireachtas The Oireachtas (, ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of: *The President of Ireland *The bicameralism, two houses of the Oireachtas ...

enacted the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2010 to address land-use planning failures and over-zoning of development land. The 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 In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

and required energy use to be taken into account in planning decisions. He published the Climate Change Response Bill 2010, and an update of the

National Spatial Strategy The National Spatial Strategy 2002-2020 is a twenty-year planning framework, with an aim of balancing social, economic and physical development in the Republic of Ireland. Gateways and hubs The strategy seeks both to prevent the Greater Dublin A ...

. He was head of the Irish delegation at the

2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference The 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference was held in Cancún, Mexico, from 29 November to 10 December 2010. The conference is officially referred to as the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework ...

Cancún Cancún ( ), often Cancun in English (without the accent; or ) is a city in southeast Mexico on the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. It is a significant tourist destination in Mexico and the seat ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. He promoted healthy eating for children, school gardens and local markets. He published bills to

address climate change Climate change mitigation is action to limit climate change by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases or removing those gases from the atmosphere. The recent rise in global average temperature is mostly caused by emissions from fossil fuels b ...

, noise pollution, and heritage protection. In January 2011, Cuffe launched a new policy of allowing bicycles on off-peak

DART Dart or DART may refer to: * Dart, the equipment in the game of darts Arts, entertainment and media * Dart (comics), an Image Comics superhero * Dart, a character from ''G.I. Joe'' * Dart, a ''Thomas & Friends'' railway engine character * Dar ...

trains. He resigned as Minister of State on 23 January 2011, when the Green Party withdrew from government.

Dublin city council member (2014–2019)

At the 2014 local elections he was elected to

for Dublin North Inner City area, on the 13th count. He was appointed chairperson for the Dublin City Council Transportation Committee in 2014. As a member of the Central Area Committee for Dublin City Council, he worked to provide a site for the Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire primary school on Dominick Street in 2017. Cuffe introduced 30 km/h speed limits to residential and school areas of Dublin. He also advocates for a car-free

College Green College Green or The College Green may refer to: * College Green, Adelaide outdoor venue at the University of Adelaide * College Green, Bristol, England * College Green (Dartmouth College), New Hampshire, primarily known as "the Green" * College ...

. He called for an increase in affordable housing in Dublin, specifically for people with different incomes. Speaking on the Strategic Development Zone in the Docklands, he stated, "We have seen a lot of cranes in the Docklands but not a lot of homes. Particularly affordable homes." He proposed a Motion declaring a Climate Emergency and this was approved at a meeting of the Council 13 May 2019.

Member of the European Parliament (2019–present)

Cuffe was selected as the

candidate for the

constituency at the 2019 European Parliament elections. He topped the poll, receiving 63,849 votes and was elected as an MEP on the 13th count, with 17.54% first preference votes. He was also re-elected to Dublin City Council, but due to the prohibition on a

dual mandate A dual mandate is the practice in which elected officials serve in more than one elected or other public position simultaneously. This practice is sometimes known as double jobbing in Britain and ''cumul des mandats'' in France; not to be confused ...

, this seat was co-opted to fellow Green Party member Janet Horner. Cuffe is a member of the TRAN (Transport and Tourism) Committee of the European Parliament and is the Coordinator of the Greens-EFA Group. He is also a member of the ITRE (Industry, Research and Energy) Committee, and has written an own initiative report (The Cuffe Report) on maximising the Energy Efficiency of the EU building stock (2020/2070). In 2022, he was appointed rapporteur on the

directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is the European Union's main legislative instrument aiming to promote the improvement of the energy performance of buildings within the European Union. It was inspired by the Kyoto Protocol whic ...

(EPBD). Cuffe is President of the European Forum for Renewable Energy Sources (EUFORES), a cross-party European parliamentary network gathering members of European, regional and national parliaments of the EU, and works to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.

References

External links

* *
Ciarán Cuffe's blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuffe, Ciaran 1963 births Living people Ministers of State of the 30th Dáil MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 2019–2024 Members of the 29th Dáil Members of the 30th Dáil Local councillors in Dublin (city) Green Party (Ireland) TDs People educated at Gonzaga College Politicians from County Dublin Irish people of American descent Irish people of Dutch descent Alumni of University College Dublin University of Maine alumni People from Dún Laoghaire