James Heffernan (Irish politician)
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affiliations
- Independent (2012–2015)
- Labour Party (2007–2012)
James Heffernan | |
|---|---|
 Heffernan in 2015 | |
| Senator | |
| In office 25 May 2011 – 8 June 2016 | |
| Constituency | Agricultural Panel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 October 1979 Limerick, Ireland |
| Party | Social Democrats (2015–2016) |
| Other political affiliations |
|
| Alma mater | University of Limerick |
| Profession | Former teacher |
James Heffernan (born 3 October 1979) is an Irish former Labour Party politician.[1]
He is from a Limerick hurling family, with his father and brother, both called Pat, having played for the county. Heffernan was heavily involved with Labour Youth during his time in university, serving on the organisation's internal disciplinary committee.
Career
Primary-school teacher
A graduate of the University of Limerick, Heffernan was a primary school teacher by profession. Before becoming a full-time politician in around 2009, Heffernan taught in a number of schools, including St Anne's in Whitechapel, London.
Labour politician
He was a candidate at 2007 general election for the Limerick West constituency. He was a member of Limerick County Council from 2009 to 2011 for the Kilmallock local electoral area. He was a candidate at the 2011 general election for the Limerick constituency, polling 7,910 first preference votes (17.5%).[2] He was elected to the 24th Seanad in April 2011 on the Agricultural Panel for the Labour Party.[3]
He lost the parliamentary Labour Party whip in December 2012 after voting against the government on the Social Welfare Bill.[4] The loss of the whip resulted in a falloff in Heffernan's Seanad voting attendance. In September 2013, it was reported that Heffernan attended only 23% of all votes in the Seanad, the second worst record.[5]
Social Democrats
In February 2015, he claimed he was forming a new political party in order to oppose Sinn Féin.[6] On 4 September 2015, the Social Democrats announced that Heffernan was one of their five election candidates.[7]