Timmy Dooley

Timmy Dooley (born 13 February 1969) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine and Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment since February 2025. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Clare constituency since the 2024 general election, and previously from 2007 to 2020. He served as a Senator from 2020 to 2024, after being nominated by the Taoiseach, and from 2002 to 2007 for the Administrative Panel.

Early and personal life

Dooley was born in Limerick and was educated at Mountshannon National School and Scarriff Community College, and later at University College Dublin, where he was chairman of the Kevin Barry Cumann of Ógra Fianna Fáil in 1989. He is married to Emer McMahon and they have two daughters.

Political career

Dooley was first elected to the Dáil at the 2007 general election for the Clare constituency, topping the poll with 10,791 votes. He served as spokesperson for Transport, Tourism and Sport from 2011 to 2016, and as a spokesperson for Communications, Climate Action and Environment from May 2016 to February 2020.

In January 2018, Dooley voiced his support for repealing the Eighth Amendment.

In October 2019, Dooley was involved in a voting controversy in the Dáil when he was absent from the chamber during voting but a vote was recorded in his seat six times. An Oireachtas report into the incident revealed that fellow Fianna Fáil TD Niall Collins voted on behalf of Dooley on each occasion, as well as casting votes at other seats. Video footage showed Dooley talking to Collins prior to leaving the chamber, during which Dooley pointed to his seat and Collins nodded. Dooley claimed in the Oireachtas report that he had not asked Collins to vote on his behalf during this conversation. When questioned, Dooley accepted that he had made no effort to correct the record prior to being contacted by a journalist about the incident.

In a rare occurrence for an opposition TD, an amendment Dooley introduced was accepted to road traffic legislation, for significant penalties for the criminal offence of leaving the scene of a serious or fatal crash.

He lost his seat at the general election in 2020 general election. He was an unsuccessful candidate at the 2020 Seanad election, but was subsequently nominated by the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin to the 26th Seanad in June 2020.

Since 2021 he has been co-president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party.

In July 2024, it emerged that Dooley had one of the lowest voting records in the Seanad.

He was elected to the Dáil for Clare at the 2024 general election. On 25 February 2025, he was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine with special responsibility for fisheries and as Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment with special responsibility for the marine.

References

External links

Timmy Dooley's page on the Fianna Fáil website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dooley, Timmy
1969 births
Living people
Alumni of University College Dublin
Fianna Fáil senators
Fianna Fáil TDs
Members of the 22nd Seanad
Members of the 30th Dáil
Members of the 31st Dáil
Members of the 32nd Dáil
Politicians from County Clare
Members of the 26th Seanad
Nominated members of Seanad Éireann
Administrative Panel senators
Members of the 34th Dáil
Ministers of State of the 34th Dáil