Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Irish politician (born 1989)
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Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Irish pronunciation: [ˈd̪ˠʊn̪ˠəxə oː ˈl̪ˠeːɾʲə]; born 8 February 1989) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork South-Central constituency since the 2016 general election.[1]
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Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire | |
|---|---|
Ó Laoghaire in 2024 | |
| Teachta Dála | |
| Assumed office February 2016 | |
| Constituency | Cork South-Central |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 February 1989 Cork, Ireland |
| Party | Sinn Féin |
| Spouse |
Eimear Ruane-McAteer
(m. 2021) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University College Cork |
Early life
Ó Laoghaire is from Togher, Cork. As a youth, he was a member of the local Scouting Ireland group, the 37th Cork (Togher),[citation needed] before going on to be an adult volunteer in the Scout group in The Lough.[2] He attended University College Cork (UCC) and graduated with a law degree. While in UCC, he joined Sinn Féin's youth wing Ógra Shinn Féin, eventually taking a year out to work as an organiser for Ógra. He then worked as a parliamentary assistant for Sinn Féin politicians David Cullinane, Trevor Ó Clochartaigh and Sandra McLellan.[3]
Political career
While working as McLellan's parliamentary assistant, he ran in the 2014 Cork County Council election, and was elected, serving as a member of Cork County Council from 2014 to 2016.[4][5] He was re-elected at the 2020 general election. As of 2021, he is Sinn Féin's spokesperson for Education.
In April 2021, Ó Laoghaire settled a defamation claim against RTÉ for over €150,000 following comments made about Ó Laoghaire on Liveline.[6]
At the 2024 general election, Ó Laoghaire was re-elected to the Dáil.
Political views
Ó Laoghaire supports Eoin O'Broin's categorisation of Sinn Féin ideology as "Left Republican". Ó Laoghaire views Left Republicanism's core values as seeking equality, Irish unity, national democracy, and pluralism.[7]
Speaking regarding the link between Irish Republicanism and violence, Ó Laoghaire has stated that it was not necessary to agree with the Provisional Irish Republican Army campaign or every aspect of Sinn Féin's past to support or join the party, though he argued it would be difficult to identify with Sinn Féin without understanding the root causes of the conflict. He described pre-1968 Northern Ireland as an unsustainable, discriminatory and authoritarian system where reform had failed, leading to escalation after events such as the Burntollet Bridge incident. He noted that many Sinn Féin members did not agree with all aspects of the IRA's actions, with some rejecting the armed struggle entirely, and said this diversity of views should be welcomed, as the party's focus was on shaping Ireland's future.[7]
Personal life
In 2021, Ó Laoghaire married Eimear Ruane-McAteer. The couple have three children.[8]