Paul Gogarty
Encyclopedia
Paul Nicholas Gogarty is a former Irish
Green Party
politician. He was a Teachta Dála
(TD) for the Dublin Mid West
constituency from 2002 to 2011. He currently works as a media commentator and journalist.
, but has mostly lived in Lucan. He was educated at St Mary's Boys National School and Colaiste Padraig, Lucan. He later went on to study journalism at the Dublin Institute of Technology
. As a result of this, Gogarty worked as a journalist and editor before being elected to the Dáil
in 2002.
in 1989 as a student. He ran unsuccessfully at the 1991 local elections
in the Castleknock
area, and at the 1992
and 1997
general elections in the Dublin West constituency. He also ran at the 1996 by-election caused by the death of Brian Lenihan, Snr.
Gogarty was first elected at the 1999 local elections
in the Lucan area, when he topped the poll with 1,238 votes. At the 2002 general election
, he was elected to the Dáil for the new Dublin Mid West
constituency. He was the first Green Party member to be elected in a three-seat constituency. After his election, Gogarty gave up his local council seat, in line with Green Party policy against dual-mandate and was succeeded by Fintan McCarthy. At the 2007 general election, he retained his Dáil seat, taking the second seat in the enlarged constituency.
Following the Green Party's entry to government in 2007, Gogarty was appointed chairman of the Oireachtas
committee on Education and Science. In 2007, Gogarty unsuccessfully ran for the position of chair in the Green Party, losing to Dan Boyle
. In March 2009, Gogarty resigned his position as Green Party spokesperson on Education, but took up the position again in October 2009 following his successes in reversing some of the previous year's education cutbacks as part of the Revised Programme for Government.
, Gogarty said to Labour Party
TD Emmet Stagg
: "With all due respect, in the most unparliamentary language, fuck you Deputy Stagg. Fuck you." He immediately made a personal apology to the House for his use of unparliamentary language, which was criticised by Deputy Lucinda Creighton
, who demanded he be suspended. The incident was referred to a sitting of the Dáil committee on procedure and privileges, when it emerged that "fuck" is not included among the list of forbidden words set out in the Salient Rulings of the Chair, the document which regulates the behaviour and conduct of TDs.
announced the junior coalition party's
intention to seek a general election early in 2011. The following day, many callers to Joe Duffy's
Liveline
radio show criticised his decision to bring his daughter to an important press conference. Gogarty defended his decision by saying that his regular childminder (the girl's grandmother) was not available when the press conference was called. In national print media, photographs appeared of Gogarty pushing his daughter's buggy through the portico of Leinster House
and subsequently holding the child on his lap in the press conference.
television series Celebrity Bainisteoir
managing Oughterard's Seamus Ó Máille GAA Club, Galway. Tony Casacarino's team beat him in the end, with extra-time being needed in the final for the first time in Celebrity Bainisteoir.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
Green Party
Green Party (Ireland)
The Green Party is a green political party in Ireland. It was founded as the Ecology Party of Ireland in 1981 by Dublin teacher Christopher Fettes. The party became the Green Alliance in 1983 and in 1987 was renamed to its current title in English...
politician. He was a Teachta Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
(TD) for the Dublin Mid West
Dublin Mid West (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin Mid–West is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
constituency from 2002 to 2011. He currently works as a media commentator and journalist.
Early and private life
Gogarty spent the first four years of his life in PalmerstownPalmerstown
Palmerstown , occasionally referred to as Palmerston, is a suburb of Dublin,Ireland. It is located about 8km west of the city centre, in the administrative county of South Dublin. The area is bordered to the north by the River Liffey, to the west by Lucan, to the south by Ballyfermot and to theeast...
, but has mostly lived in Lucan. He was educated at St Mary's Boys National School and Colaiste Padraig, Lucan. He later went on to study journalism at the Dublin Institute of Technology
Dublin Institute of Technology
Dublin Institute of Technology was established officially in 1992 under the but had been previously set up in 1978 on an ad-hoc basis. The institution can trace its origins back to 1887 with the establishment of various technical institutions in Dublin, Ireland...
. As a result of this, Gogarty worked as a journalist and editor before being elected to the Dáil
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
in 2002.
Political career
Gogarty joined the Green PartyGreen Party (Ireland)
The Green Party is a green political party in Ireland. It was founded as the Ecology Party of Ireland in 1981 by Dublin teacher Christopher Fettes. The party became the Green Alliance in 1983 and in 1987 was renamed to its current title in English...
in 1989 as a student. He ran unsuccessfully at the 1991 local elections
Irish local elections, 1991
The 1991 Irish local elections were held in all the counties, cities and towns of Ireland on Thursday, 27 June 1991.-County councils:- Counties :- County boroughs :- Town councils :- See also :*Local government in the Republic of Ireland...
in the Castleknock
Castleknock
Castleknock is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the west of the modern administrative county of Fingal within the traditional county of Dublin. It is located west of the centre of Dublin....
area, and at the 1992
Irish general election, 1992
The Irish general election of 1992 was held on Wednesday, 25 November 1992, almost three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 5 November. However, after difficulties in forming a government the newly elected 166 members of the 27th Dáil did not assemble at Leinster House until 4 January 1993...
and 1997
Irish general election, 1997
The Irish general election of 1997 was held on Friday, 6 June 1997. The 166 newly elected members of the 28th Dáil assembled on 26 June 1997 when a new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
general elections in the Dublin West constituency. He also ran at the 1996 by-election caused by the death of Brian Lenihan, Snr.
Gogarty was first elected at the 1999 local elections
Irish local elections, 1999
The 1999 Irish local elections were held in all the counties, cities and towns of Ireland on 10 June 1999, on the same day as the European elections.- Results :18 Workers' Party councillors had left the party in 1992 upon the creation of Democratic Left...
in the Lucan area, when he topped the poll with 1,238 votes. At the 2002 general election
Irish general election, 2002
The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday, 17 May 2002 just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern...
, he was elected to the Dáil for the new Dublin Mid West
Dublin Mid West (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin Mid–West is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
constituency. He was the first Green Party member to be elected in a three-seat constituency. After his election, Gogarty gave up his local council seat, in line with Green Party policy against dual-mandate and was succeeded by Fintan McCarthy. At the 2007 general election, he retained his Dáil seat, taking the second seat in the enlarged constituency.
Following the Green Party's entry to government in 2007, Gogarty was appointed chairman of the Oireachtas
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
committee on Education and Science. In 2007, Gogarty unsuccessfully ran for the position of chair in the Green Party, losing to Dan Boyle
Dan Boyle (politician)
Dan Boyle is an Irish Green Party politician and party chairperson. He was a Teachta Dála for Cork South Central from 2002–07 and was a member of Seanad Éireann from 2007–11.-Early life and education:...
. In March 2009, Gogarty resigned his position as Green Party spokesperson on Education, but took up the position again in October 2009 following his successes in reversing some of the previous year's education cutbacks as part of the Revised Programme for Government.
2009 swearing controversy
On 11 December 2009, during a debate in the Dáil on the Social Welfare bill of the 2010 budgetIrish budget, 2010
The 2010 Irish Budget refers to the delivery of a government budget by the Government of Ireland on 9 December 2009, its third in fourteen months...
, Gogarty said to Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
TD Emmet Stagg
Emmet Stagg
Emmet Stagg is an Irish Labour Party politician. He is currently a Teachta Dála for the Kildare North constituency and Labour Party Chief Whip.-Early life:...
: "With all due respect, in the most unparliamentary language, fuck you Deputy Stagg. Fuck you." He immediately made a personal apology to the House for his use of unparliamentary language, which was criticised by Deputy Lucinda Creighton
Lucinda Creighton
Lucinda Creighton is an Irish Fine Gael politician. She has been a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency since 2007. She was appointed the Minister of State for European Affairs in March 2011.-Early and private life:...
, who demanded he be suspended. The incident was referred to a sitting of the Dáil committee on procedure and privileges, when it emerged that "fuck" is not included among the list of forbidden words set out in the Salient Rulings of the Chair, the document which regulates the behaviour and conduct of TDs.
"Babygate" controversy
Gogarty hit headlines again in November 2010, as he brought his 18-month old daughter Daisy to a Green Party press conference in which his party's leader John GormleyJohn Gormley
John Gormley is an Irish politician. He was the leader of the Irish Green Party from 2007 to 2011, and was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency from 1997 to 2011. He served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from 2007–11...
announced the junior coalition party's
Government of the 30th Dáil
The 30th Dáil was elected at the 2007 general election on 24 May 2007 and first met on 14 June when President Mary McAleese appointed Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach, on the nomination of Dáil Éireann...
intention to seek a general election early in 2011. The following day, many callers to Joe Duffy's
Joe Duffy
Joseph "Joe" Duffy is an Irish broadcaster employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann . A Jacob's Award winner, he is the current presenter of Liveline, which is broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1, Monday - Fridays between 13:45 and 15:00.Duffy has a history as a student activist; he was President of the Union of...
Liveline
LiveLine
Liveline is an Irish radio interview and phone-in chat show broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 each weekday afternoon between 13.45 and 15.00. The programme, which is currently presented by Joe Duffy and known for its slogan "Talk to Joe", seeks the public's opinion on various questions, normally one or more...
radio show criticised his decision to bring his daughter to an important press conference. Gogarty defended his decision by saying that his regular childminder (the girl's grandmother) was not available when the press conference was called. In national print media, photographs appeared of Gogarty pushing his daughter's buggy through the portico of Leinster House
Leinster House
Leinster House is the name of the building housing the Oireachtas, the national parliament of Ireland.Leinster House was originally the ducal palace of the Dukes of Leinster. Since 1922, it is a complex of buildings, of which the former ducal palace is the core, which house Oireachtas Éireann, its...
and subsequently holding the child on his lap in the press conference.
Loss of seat
Gogarty lost his seat at the 2011 general election, polling 3.47% of the poll and losing his deposit. He conceded defeat at 10:22 a.m. on 26 February after posting on Twitter saying "I concede with good grace".After politics
Since July 2011 he has been involved in season 4 of the RTÉRaidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
television series Celebrity Bainisteoir
Celebrity Bainisteoir
Celebrity Bainisteoir is a prime-time reality programme produced for Radio Telefís Éireann, which was produced by Animo Television/Kite Entertainment...
managing Oughterard's Seamus Ó Máille GAA Club, Galway. Tony Casacarino's team beat him in the end, with extra-time being needed in the final for the first time in Celebrity Bainisteoir.