Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (; born 18 September 1953) is an Irish former

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...

politician who served as a

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( ; ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish language, Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The official Engli ...

(TD) for the Cavan–Monaghan constituency from 1997 to 2020. Ó Caoláin's victory in 1997 made him the first member of Sinn Féin to be elected to the Dáil since 1957, and the first to actually take their seat since 1922. His election, which paralleled the signing of the

Good Friday Agreement The Good Friday Agreement (GFA) or Belfast Agreement ( or ; or ) is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April (Good Friday) 1998 that ended most of the violence of the Troubles, an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland since the la ...

in 1998, is cited as the beginning of Sinn Féin's involvement in the formal national politics of the Republic of Ireland. Ó Caoláin served as Leader of Sinn Féin in

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...

from 1997 to 2011 and Chair of the Committee on Justice and Equality from 2016 to 2020.

Biography

Ó Caoláin was born in

Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), Monaghan barony. The population of the town as of the 2022 cen ...

in 1953. He was educated at St. Mary's CBS, Monaghan. He was a bank official with the

Bank of Ireland Bank of Ireland Group plc () is a commercial bank operation in Ireland and one of the traditional Big Four Irish banks. Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the bank occupies a unique position in Irish banking history. At ...

in the 1970s, and worked in a number of towns, including

Ballinasloe Ballinasloe ( ; ) is a town in the easternmost part of County Galway, Ireland. Located at an ancient crossing point on the River Suck, evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of Bronze Age sites. Built around a 12th-centur ...

. He became a senior bank official but then left the bank to concentrate on politics. Ó Caoláin is married to Briege McGinn and they have four daughters and one son. Ó Caoláin underwent successful cardiac surgery early in 2007. On 19 June 2007, it was reported that he was rushed to hospital, but he was released shortly thereafter and has since made a full recovery.

Political career

Ó Caoláin has been active in republican circles since the 1970s. He was Director of Elections in the

Anti H-Block Anti H-Block was the political label used in 1981 by supporters of the Irish republican hunger strike who were standing for election in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. "H-Block" was a metonym for the Maze Prison, within who ...

campaign of 1981, which saw Kieran Doherty elected as a TD for the Cavan–Monaghan constituency. Between 1982 and 1985, he was general manager of the republican newspaper ''

An Phoblacht ''An Phoblacht'' (Irish pronunciation: ; ) is a Sinn Féin-affiliated online Irish republicanism, Irish republican news platform which also publishes a quarterly print magazine format. Editorially the paper takes a Left-wing politics, left-wing ...

''. Ó Caoláin's first political success came in 1985, when he was elected to

Monaghan County Council Monaghan County Council () is the local authority of County Monaghan, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning ...

as a

County Council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Australia In the Australian state of New South Wales, county councils are special purpose ...

lor. At the

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

and

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

elections he stood unsuccessfully in the Connacht–Ulster constituency. Ó Caoláin was a Sinn Féin delegate at the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

in the mid-1990s. In 1996, he was an unsuccessful candidate in the

Northern Ireland Forum The Northern Ireland Forum for Political Dialogue was a body set up in 1996 as part of a process of negotiations that eventually led to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. The forum was elected, with five members being elected for each List o ...

election in Newry and Armagh. He was also a member of the Sinn Féin negotiations team during the talks which led to the

in 1998. Following the 1997 general election, he was elected to

for the Cavan–Monaghan constituency, making him the first Sinn Féin TD elected since 1957, and the first Sinn Féin TD to take his seat at Dáil Éireann in

Leinster House Leinster House () is the seat of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Originally, it was the ducal palace of the Duke of Leinster, Dukes of Leinster. Since 1922, it has been a complex of buildings which houses Oirea ...

since 1922. He was subsequently re-elected at the 2002 general election and was joined by four other Sinn Féin deputies. He was re-elected at the 2007 general election, 2011 general election and 2016 general election. Ó Caoláin served as Sinn Féin's Spokesperson on Health and Children. While a TD, he accepted the average industrial wage and donated the remaining portion of his TD salary to his party. On 7 March 2018, Ó Caoláin announced that he would not contest the next general election. Since his retirement Ó Caoláin has remained involved in Sinn Féin. He was their Director of Elections in his former constituency in 2024.

References

External links

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin's page on the Sinn Féin website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ocaolain, Caoimhghin 1953 births Living people Members of Monaghan County Council Members of the 28th Dáil Members of the 29th Dáil Members of the 30th Dáil Members of the 31st Dáil Members of the 32nd Dáil Politicians from County Monaghan Sinn Féin TDs (post-1923) People from Monaghan (town)