Maurice Quinlivan (born 1967/1968) is an 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 G ...

politician who has been 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 Parli ...

(TD) for the

Limerick City Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

constituency since the 2016 general election. He was appointed Chair of the Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment in September 2020. He gained prominence for being libelled by

Willie O'Dea Willie O'Dea ( ; born 1 November 1952) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick City constituency since 2011, and previously from 1982 to 2011 for the Limerick East constituency. He has served as Min ...

, while O'Dea was

Minister for Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

Personal life

He was born in Ballynanty and resides in nearby Stenson Park,

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

, with his wife. His brother

Nessan Quinlivan Nessan Quinlivan (born 1965), is a former Provisional IRA member who escaped from Brixton Prison in London on 7 July 1991 along with his cellmate Pearse McAuley, while awaiting trial on charges relating to a suspected IRA plot to assassinate a fo ...

, is a former

Provisional IRA The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, fa ...

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

. He has 3 sisters.

Political career

He previously ran unsuccessfully as a Sinn Féin candidate at the 2004 local elections for

Limerick City Council Limerick City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Luimnigh) was the authority responsible for local government in the city of Limerick in Ireland. The council had 17 elected members. The head of the council had the title of Mayor. Limerick City ...

and for

Limerick East Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. With a populati ...

at the 2007 general election. He was elected to Limerick City Council in 2009. During the 2009 local election campaign, Willie O'Dea gave an interview to the

Limerick Leader The ''Limerick Leader'' is a weekly local newspaper in Limerick, Ireland. It was founded in 1889. The newspaper is headquartered on Glentworth Street in the City. The broadsheet paper currently is distributed in three editions, City, County and ...

. In response to criticism about the use of

Department of Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

resources for constituency work, O'Dea attacked Quinlivan and claimed that Quinlivan was running a brothel. Quinlivan responded by launching a High Court defamation challenge against O'Dea. As part of his defence O'Dea swore under oath an

affidavit An ( ; Medieval Latin for "he has declared under oath") is a written statement voluntarily made by an ''affiant'' or '' deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by law. Such a stateme ...

, that he had not made this remark. He was forced to retract his denial after the release of a recording of the conversation in which the allegations were made by O'Dea. The case was subsequently settled out of court with O'Dea paying an undisclosed sum in damages and apologising for the remarks. However, O'Dea was forced to resign as

, over accusations that he had committed perjury. On the council, Quinlivan has supported an extension of Limerick city's boundary, opposed the planned merger of Limerick City and County Councils and campaigned for greater resources to tackle Limerick's drug problem. He, along with Independent Councillor and former Mayor of Limerick John Gilligan, are the only two councillors on Limerick City Council to oppose to the Household charge. Both men have refused to pay the charge. He was a candidate in the

constituency at the 2011 general election. He received 8.6% of the first preference votes, coming fifth in the four seat constituency ahead of incumbent Fianna Fáil TD Peter Power, and was not elected. He was re-elected at the 2014 local elections, topping the poll with 24.5% of the vote. He was elected at the 2016 general election taking the second seat in the Limerick City constituency. He was re-elected at the 2020 general election, topping the poll ahead of his constituency rival, Willie O'Dea.

References

External links

*
Maurice Quinlivan's page on the Sinn Féin website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinlivan, Maurice Living people 1960s births Local councillors in County Limerick Members of the 32nd Dáil Sinn Féin TDs (post-1923) Members of the 33rd Dáil