Eoghan Murphy (born Dublin, 23 April 1982) is a former
Fine Gael
Fine Gael (, ; English: "Family (or Tribe) of the Irish") is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil à ...
politician who 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
Dublin Bay South constituency from 2016 until 27 April 2021,
and previously from 2011 to 2016 for the
Dublin South-East constituency. He previously served as
Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage ( ga, An tAire TithÃochta, Rialtais Ãitiúil agus Oidhreachta) is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
The ...
from 2017 to 2020 and 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 2016 to 2017.
Recently he has served as Head of Mission on election observation missions to Armenia, Uzbekistan and Italy on behalf of the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation (OSCE).
Early life and education
Murphy attended primary school at Star of the Sea Sandymount and secondary school at
St Michael's College. He went on to study at
University College Dublin
University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Ãtha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...
(BA, English & Philosophy), and
King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
(MA, International Relations).
His father Henry is a retired senior counsel and author. His brothers
Cillian (the actor known as Killian Scott) and Colin, a playwright and journalist, have forged successful careers in the arts.
He dated jewellery designer Chloe Townsend, but according to ''Evoke'', they split in 2019. In 2021, he revealed that an ex-girlfriend received verbal abuse during his term as a government minister.
Career
Arms control
Prior to entering politics, Murphy worked in international
arms control
Arms control is a term for international restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation and usage of small arms, conventional weapons, and weapons of mass destruction. Arms control is typically exercised through the u ...
, specifically in the area of
nuclear weapons disarmament. He has worked for the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) in
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, the
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the department of the Australian federal government responsible for foreign policy and relations, international aid (using the branding Australian Aid), consular services and trade and inv ...
in
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 ...
, and before his election to
Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Ãtha 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 ...
, he was working as a
speechwriter
A speechwriter is a person who is hired to prepare and write speeches that will be delivered by another person. Speechwriters are employed by many senior-level elected officials and executives in the government and private sectors. They can also be ...
for the
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) is an international organization that will be established upon the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, a Convention that outlaws nuclear test explosions. It ...
(CTBTO) in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. In a 2015 Dáil debate on
Irish neutrality
Ireland has been neutral in international relations since the 1930s. The nature of Irish neutrality has varied over time, and has been contested since the 1970s. Historically, the state was a "non-belligerent" in the Second World War (see Irish ...
, Murphy supported ending the
triple lock requirement for Irish military deployment to have
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...
support, on the ground that it makes Ireland subject to
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
's
veto power
A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto pow ...
.
Politics
Murphy was elected to Dublin City Council at the
2009 local elections for the
local electoral area
A local electoral area (LEA; ga, Toghlimistéir Ãitiúil) is an electoral area for elections to local authorities in Ireland. All elections use the single transferable vote. The Republic of Ireland is divided into 166 LEAs, with an average po ...
of
Pembroke–
Rathmines
Rathmines () is an affluent inner suburb on the Southside of Dublin in Ireland. It lies three kilometres south of the city centre. It begins at the southern side of the Grand Canal and stretches along the Rathmines Road as far as Rathgar to t ...
. He was 27 at the time.
At the
2011 general election, he was elected to the third seat in
Dublin South-East, vacating his seat on the council. In the
31st Dáil
31 (thirty-one) is the natural number following 30 and preceding 32. It is a prime number.
In mathematics
31 is the 11th prime number. It is a superprime and a self prime (after 3, 5, and 7), as no integer added up to its base 10 digits ...
, he sat on the
Public Accounts Committee (PAC), then regarded as the foremost Oireachtas Committee due to its special powers, and subsequently served on the
Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis, established to examine the causes of Ireland's property-driven banking collapse which resulted in a national bailout. When that inquiry almost collapsed Murphy, together with Senator
Susan O'Keefe
Susan O'Keeffe (born 18 September 1960) is an Irish journalist and former Labour Party politician.
Personal life
She was educated at Mount Anville Secondary School, Dublin, and at University College Cork. She lives in Collooney, County Slig ...
, was asked by their colleagues to rescue the final report, which was published in January 2016.
In his first term he also led the Oireachtas delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, serving as a short-term observer to the Russian presidential election in 2012, and as Special Co-Ordinator for the Bulgarian parliamentary elections in 2013.
While regarded as radical at the time, they would later serve as the foundation for many changes that were necessary in establishing a minority government after the 2016 general election did not return any party or coalition in a majority position.
At the
2016 general election, Murphy topped the poll in the redrawn constituency of
Dublin Bay South, winning the second seat. He was appointed by
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 2017, Leader of the Opposition from ...
to the
minority Fine Gael–Independent government as
Minister of State at the Department of Finance
The Minister of State at the Department of Finance is a junior ministerial post in the Department of Finance of the Government of Ireland. A Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed u ...
and
at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with responsibility for Financial Services, eGovernment and Public Procurement.
Following
Leo Varadkar
Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach since December 2022, and previously from 2017 to 2020. He served as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from June 2020 to De ...
's appointment as
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
, Murphy was promoted to
the cabinet, as
Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage ( ga, An tAire TithÃochta, Rialtais Ãitiúil agus Oidhreachta) is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
The ...
in June 2017. On 25 September 2018, Murphy survived a
motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
which had been tabled by
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gri ...
. The motion was defeated by 59 to 49 votes. In December 2019, another motion of no confidence was tabled against Murphy, this time by the
Social Democrats
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...
. The motion was defeated by 59 votes to 56.
In the
2020 general election he was elected to the third seat in Dublin Bay South.
After the election he continued to serve as minister during the first phase of the Covid pandemic, instituting protections for rough sleepers, people in emergency accommodation and renters. At the formation of a
new government on 27 June 2020 he announced that he was stepping back from ministerial politics to focus on reform of his party. He resigned his seat in the Dáil in April 2021.
After politics
On 27 April 2021, Murphy resigned his seat in Dáil Éireann, and announced that he would return to working in international affairs.
In May, he was in Armenia as head of the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...
team
monitoring
Monitoring may refer to:
Science and technology Biology and healthcare
* Monitoring (medicine), the observation of a disease, condition or one or several medical parameters over time
* Baby monitoring
* Biomonitoring, of toxic chemical compounds, ...
the
parliamentary election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
.
He has returned to serve as Head of Mission for the OSCE's
Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is the principal institution of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) dealing with the " human dimension" of security. The Office, originally named Office for ...
(ODIHR) in their election observation missions in Uzbekistan (2021), and more recently in Italy (2022).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Eoghan
1982 births
Living people
Alumni of University College Dublin
Alumni of King's College London
Fine Gael TDs
Local councillors in Dublin (city)
Members of the 31st Dáil
Members of the 32nd Dáil
Members of the 33rd Dáil
Ministers of State of the 32nd Dáil
People educated at St Michael's College, Dublin