Seán Ó FearghaÃl (; born 17 April 1960) is an Irish
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 Páirtà Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian- ...
politician who has served as the
Ceann Comhairle
The (; "Head of heCouncil"; plural usually ) is the chairperson (or speaker) of , the lower house of the (parliament) of Ireland. The person who holds the position is elected by members of the from among their number in the first session a ...
of
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 ...
since March 2016. He has been 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
Kildare South constituency since
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
. He was a
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
for the
Agricultural Panel
The Agricultural Panel () is one of five vocational panels which together elect 43 of the 60 members of Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (the legislature of Ireland). The Agricultural Panel elects eleven senators.
Election
Art ...
from 2000 to 2002.
Life and career
Ó FearghaÃl comes from a farming background, and previously worked for
Dublin Corporation
Dublin Corporation (), known by generations of Dubliners simply as ''The Corpo'', is the former name of the city government and its administrative organisation in Dublin since the 1100s. Significantly re-structured in 1660-1661, even more sign ...
. He was elected as a member of
Kildare County Council
Kildare County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Chill Dara) is the authority responsible for local government in County Kildare, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housin ...
in
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
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** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
. He first stood for election to
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 ...
in the
Kildare
Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional cen ...
constituency at the
1987 general election, but was unsuccessful.
He was unsuccessful again at the
1989 general election.
After further defeats at the
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
and
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
general elections, he stood for
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann (, ; "Senate of Ireland") is the upper house of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (the lower house).
It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its memb ...
in 1997, as a candidate before the
Agricultural Panel
The Agricultural Panel () is one of five vocational panels which together elect 43 of the 60 members of Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (the legislature of Ireland). The Agricultural Panel elects eleven senators.
Election
Art ...
, but he was again unsuccessful in seeking election. He won a seat in the
21st Seanad following a by-election held in June 2000, after the death of Senator
Patrick McGowan.
Ó FearghaÃl won a Dáil seat on his fifth attempt following the
2002 general election, when he defeated the sitting
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 ...
TD
Alan Dukes
Alan Dukes (born 1945) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Transport, Energy and Communication from 1996 to 1997, Leader of the Opposition and Leader of Fine Gael from 1987 to 1990, Minister for Justice from 1986 t ...
.
[ At the 2007 general election, he topped the poll and was elected on the first count. He was re-elected at the 2011 general election and at the 2016 general election.
He was the Fianna Fáil ]party whip
A whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. This means ensuring that members of the party vote according to the party platform, rather than according to their own individual ideology ...
and Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Trade from April 2011 to July 2012. In July 2012, he was appointed as Spokesperson on Constitutional Reform, Arts and Culture, and Defence, while retaining the post of party whip. Ó FearghaÃl sent Éamon Ó CuÃv
Éamon Ó CuÃv (; born 23 June 1950) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway West constituency since the 1992 general election. He previously served as Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2011 to 2 ...
a letter gagging him during the European Fiscal Compact referendum campaign, after Ó CuÃv expressed his own opinion of the Compact against the party's wishes.
He was elected as Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann, by its members, at the first sitting of the 32nd Dáil
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...
on 10 March 2016. This was the first time the position was filled by secret ballot. He was re-elected to the position at the first sitting of the 33rd Dáil on 20 February 2020.
On 22 November 2021, Ó FearghaÃl began self-isolating and working from home
Remote work, also called work from home (WFH), work from anywhere, telework, remote job, mobile work, and distance work is an employment arrangement in which employees do not commute to a central place of work, such as an office building, war ...
after testing positive for COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Leas-Cheann Comhairle
The (; "Head of heCouncil"; plural usually ) is the chairperson (or speaker) of , the lower house of the (parliament) of Ireland. The person who holds the position is elected by members of the from among their number in the first session a ...
Catherine Connolly
Catherine Connolly (born 12 July 1957) is an Irish Independent politician who has served as the Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann since July 2020. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway West constituency since 2016. She previo ...
took over his duties.
Support for the People's Republic of China
In his role as Ceann Comhairle, Ó FearghaÃl has been a vocal supporter of Chinese Government policy and increasing ties between Ireland and China. In 2018, he warned Teachtaà Dála and Senators that contact with Taiwan would "offend the Chinese government", and could damage Ireland’s business and diplomatic relationship with China. Accusations of lobbying the Irish Government and political parties on behalf of the Chinese government were leveled by members of the Oireachtas in November 2020. Ó FearghaÃl has also praised China's human rights record and economic policies.[http://ie.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/sgxw/202110/t20211015_9549101.htm]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ofearghail, Sean
1960 births
Living people
Fianna Fáil TDs
Irish farmers
Local councillors in County Kildare
Members of the 21st Seanad
Members of the 29th Dáil
Members of the 30th Dáil
Members of the 31st Dáil
Members of the 32nd Dáil
Politicians from County Kildare
Presiding officers of Dáil Éireann
Fianna Fáil senators
Members of the 33rd Dáil