Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (; born 18 September 1953) is a former Irish

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gr ...

politician who served as a

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( , ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament). It is the equivalent of terms such as ''Member of Parl ...

(TD) for the

Cavan–Monaghan Cavan Monaghan (known as Cavan-Millbrook-North Monaghan until 2007) is a township in Peterborough County in central-eastern Ontario, Canada, southwest of the city of Peterborough. History The original townships of Cavan and Monaghan were surve ...

constituency from 1997 to 2020. Ó Caoláin's victory in 1997 made him the first member of Sinn Féin to be elected to the Dáil since 1957, and the first to actually take their seat since 1922. His election, which paralleled the signing of the

Good Friday Agreement The Good Friday Agreement (GFA), or Belfast Agreement ( ga, Comhaontú Aoine an Chéasta or ; Ulster-Scots: or ), is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April 1998 that ended most of the violence of The Troubles, a political conflict in No ...

in 1998, is cited as the beginning of Sinn Féin's involvement in the formal national politics of the Republic of Ireland. Ó Caoláin served as Leader of Sinn Féin in

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland rea ...

from 1997 to 2011 and Chair of the Committee on Justice and Equality from 2016 to 2020.

Biography

Ó Caoláin was born in

Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Ireland. It also provides the name of its civil parish and barony. The population of the town as of the 2016 census was 7,678. The town is on the N2 road from Dublin to Derry and Let ...

in 1953. He was educated at St. Mary's CBS, Monaghan. He was a bank official with the

Bank of Ireland Bank of Ireland Group plc ( ga, Banc na hÉireann) is a commercial bank operation in Ireland and one of the traditional Big Four Irish banks. Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the Bank occupies a unique position in Iris ...

in the 1970s, and worked in a number of towns, including

Ballinasloe Ballinasloe ( ; ) is a town in the easternmost part of County Galway in Connacht. Located at an ancient crossing point on the River Suck, evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of Bronze Age sites. Built around a 12th-ce ...

. He became a senior bank official but then left the bank to concentrate on politics. Ó Caoláin is married to Briege McGinn and they have four daughters and one son. Ó Caoláin underwent successful cardiac surgery early in 2007. On 19 June 2007, it was reported that he was rushed to hospital, but he was released shortly thereafter and has since made a full recovery.

Political career

Ó Caoláin has been active in

republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

circles since the 1970s. He was Director of Elections in the Anti H-Block campaign of 1981, which saw

Kieran Doherty Kieran Doherty may refer to: *Kieran Doherty (hunger striker) Kieran Doherty (16 October 1955 – 2 August 1981) was an Irish republican hunger striker and politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cavan–Monaghan constituency from ...

elected as a TD for the

constituency. Between 1982 and 1985, he was general manager of the republican newspaper ''

An Phoblacht ''An Phoblacht'' (Irish pronunciation: ; en, "The Republic") is a formerly weekly, and currently monthly newspaper published by Sinn Féin in Ireland. From early 2018 onwards, ''An Phoblacht'' has moved to a magazine format while remaining an ...

''. Ó Caoláin's first political success came in 1985, when he was elected to

Monaghan County Council Monaghan County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Mhuineacháin) is the authority responsible for local government in County Monaghan, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for ho ...

as a

County Council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Ireland The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irela ...

lor. At the

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

and

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the Legislature, legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven Institutions of the European Union, institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and in ...

elections he stood unsuccessfully in the Connacht–Ulster constituency. Ó Caoláin was a Sinn Féin delegate at the

Forum for Peace and Reconciliation The Forum for Peace and Reconciliation ( ga, an Fóram um Shíocháin agus Athmhuintearas) was a forum established by the government of Ireland in October 1994 as part of the Northern Ireland peace process. Initiation The Forum was envisaged in ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

in the mid-1990s. In 1996, he was an unsuccessful candidate in the Northern Ireland Forum election in Newry and Armagh. He was also a member of the Sinn Féin negotiations team during the talks which led to the

in 1998. Following the 1997 general election, he was elected to

for the Cavan–Monaghan constituency, making him the first Sinn Féin TD elected since 1957, and the first Sinn Féin TD to take his seat at Dáil Éireann in

Leinster House Leinster House ( ga, Teach Laighean) is the seat of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Ireland. Originally, it was 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 ...

since 1922. He was subsequently re-elected at the 2002 general election and was joined by four other Sinn Féin deputies. He was re-elected at the 2007 general election, 2011 general election and 2016 general election. Ó Caoláin served as Sinn Féin's Spokesperson on Health and Children. While a TD, he accepted the average industrial wage and donated the remaining portion of his TD salary to his party. On 7 March 2018, Ó Caoláin announced that he would not contest the next general election.

References

External links

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin's page on the Sinn Féin website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ocaolain, Caoimhghin 1953 births Living people Local councillors in County Monaghan Members of the 28th Dáil Members of the 29th Dáil Members of the 30th Dáil Members of the 31st Dáil Members of the 32nd Dáil Politicians from County Monaghan Sinn Féin TDs (post-1923)