John Joseph McCartin (born 24 April 1939) is an Irish former

Fine Gael Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, Christian democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil Éireann. The party had a member ...

politician who served as a

Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

(MEP) for the Connacht–Ulster constituency from 1979 to 2004. He 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 Sligo–Leitrim constituency from 1981 to 1982 and 1982 to 1987. He also served as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

for the Agricultural Panel from 1973 to 1981.

Early life

He was born at Aughnasheelan,

Ballinamore Ballinamore (, meaning "mouth of the big ford") is a small town in the south-east of County Leitrim in Ireland. Etymology , corrupted ''Bellanamore'', means "town at the mouth of the big ford", so named because it was a main crossing (ford) o ...

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim, County Leitr ...

, the son of small farmer Francis McCartin and his wife Annie Kate Lohan. He was educated at Drumbibe National School, Aughnasheelan and St Patrick's College, Cavan. In 1972, he married Ann Clarke; they had two children. As a young farmer, McCartin was awarded many national prizes for progressive and efficient farming. He founded the McCartin Bros group of companies with his brother Tommy; these had interests in Structural Steel, Clothing Manufacture, Milling, Forestry, Pig Production, and Dairy/Beef Farming. They quickly became the largest employers in Leitrim.

Political career

McCartin joined

as a teenager and became secretary of the Ballinamore District Executive at the age of seventeen. He served as county secretary of

Macra na Feirme Macra na Feirme (; officially meaning 'stalwarts of the land') is an Ireland, Irish voluntary rural youth organisation. It provides a social outlet for members in sport, travel, public speaking, performing arts, community involvement and agricult ...

and was a member of its national executive. He was Chair of the fundraising committee which established the first rehabilitation centre in the north-west of Ireland. He was elected to

Leitrim County Council Leitrim County Council () is the Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authority of County Leitrim, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for ...

in 1967. In 1973, he was elected to

Seanad Éireann Seanad Éireann ( ; ; "Senate of Ireland") is the senate of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (defined as the house of representatives). It is commonly called the Seanad or ...

as a senator for the Agricultural Panel, and after his re-election to the Seanad in 1977 he was elected Leas-Chathaoirleach of the 14th Seanad. He was elected to the

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 ...

in 1979 for the Connacht–Ulster constituency and to the Dáil at the 1981 general election representing the Sligo–Leitrim constituency. He served as secretary of the Fine Gael parliamentary party, and party spokesperson for Agriculture. He lost his seat at the February 1982 general election but regained it at the November 1982 general election. He lost it at the subsequent 1987 general election and did not stand in any further Dáil elections. In the European Parliament, McCartin was elected vice chair of the parliament's Budgetary Control committee. He was the first Irish person ever to hold the position of vice president of the

European People's Party The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian democracy, Christian democratic, liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative, and conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other p ...

. He also served on the parliament's Agriculture and Fisheries committees. He was Joint Auditor of the

, along with former

Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...

John Bruton John Gerard Bruton (18 May 1947 – 6 February 2024) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 1994 to 1997 and Leader of Fine Gael from 1990 to 2001. He held cabinet positions between 1981‍ and 1987, including twice ...

. He retired from the European Parliament in 2004. In 1974, he was elected Leitrim Person of the Year. In 1977, he was named as one of Ireland's "People of the Year" for "bringing hope to a depressed area." In 2004, he was presented with the Schuman Medal at a meeting of the European Christian Democrats in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, for "his outstanding contribution to peace and unity in Europe and for the promotion of the human values of mankind".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCartin, Joe 1939 births Living people Members of the 13th Seanad Members of the 14th Seanad Members of the 22nd Dáil Members of the 24th Dáil Members of Leitrim County Council Fine Gael MEPs MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 1999–2004 MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 1994–1999 MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 1989–1994 MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 1984–1989 MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 1979–1984 Fine Gael TDs Fine Gael senators People educated at St Patrick's College, Cavan People from Ballinamore Agricultural Panel senators