Charles Flanagan (born 1 November 1956) 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
Minister for Justice and Equality from 2017 to 2020, Chair of the
Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence from 2020 to 2024,
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade () is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The Minister's office is located at Iveagh House, on St Stephen's Green in Dublin; "Iveagh H ...
from 2014 to 2017,
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs from May to July 2014 and
Chair of the Fine Gael parliamentary party from 2011 to 2014. He was 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
Laois–Offaly constituency from 2020 to 2024, and previously from 1987 to 2002, 2007 to 2016 and from 2016 to 2020 for the
Laois
County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...
constituency.
Early life
Flanagan was born in 1956 in
Mountmellick
Mountmellick or Mountmellic () is a town in the north of County Laois, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is on the N80 road (Ireland), N80 road, 6 km north of Portlaoise. The town is within Mountmellick (parish), Mountmellick Roman Catholic p ...
,
County Laois
County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...
. His father was
Oliver J. Flanagan, an Irish
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
Minister for Defence from 1976 to 1977.
He attended
Knockbeg College at a secondary level and studied at
University College Dublin
University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...
and the
Law Society of Ireland
The Law Society of Ireland () is a professional body established on 24 June 1830 and is the educational, representative and regulatory body of the Solicitor, solicitors' profession in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As of 2020, the Law Society ha ...
, where he qualified as a solicitor.
Career
Flanagan was first elected to
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...
at the
1987 general election, succeeding his father. Following his father's death in 1987, he was co-opted onto his seat on
Laois County Council
Laois County Council () is the local authority of County Laois, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and de ...
. He served until the abolition of the
dual mandate
A dual mandate occurs when an official serves in or holds multiple public positions simultaneously. This practice is sometimes known as double jobbing in Britain, double-dipping in the United States, and ''cumul des mandats'' in France. Thus, if ...
in 2004.
He retained his seat at each election until losing it at the
2002 general election but regained it at the
2007 general election.
He was party spokesperson on
Justice, Equality and Law Reform from 2007 to 2010, and was the party Spokesperson on Children from 2010 to 2011.
He was Chair of the Fine Gael parliamentary party from June 2011 to May 2014.
On 7 May 2014, following the resignation of
Alan Shatter
Alan Joseph Shatter (born 14 February 1951) is an Irish lawyer, author and former Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Justice and Equality and Minister for Defence from 2011 to 2014. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin S ...
as Minister for Justice and
Minister for Defence, Flanagan was appointed the following day as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to succeed
Frances Fitzgerald, who assumed the Justice portfolio. On 11 July 2014, Flanagan was appointed as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, succeeding the former
Labour leader
Eamon Gilmore
Eamon Gilmore (born 24 April 1955) is an Irish diplomat and former Labour Party politician. He has served as European Union Special Representative for Human Rights since February 2019. He has also been the European Union Special Envoy for th ...
.
He supported
Leo Varadkar
Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2017 to 2020 and from 2022 to 2024, as Tánaiste from 2020 to 2022, and as leader of Fine Gael from 2017 to 2024. A Teachta Dála, ...
in the
2017 Fine Gael leadership election, and upon Varadkar's appointment as
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 ...
on 14 June 2017, Flanagan was appointed as Minister for Justice and Equality.
Flanagan was replaced as Minister for Justice by
Helen McEntee
Helen McEntee (born 8 June 1986) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Education and Youth since January 2025 and Leader of Fine Gael#Deputy leaders, deputy leader of Fine Gael since October 2024. A Teachta Dála (TD) ...
on the formation of a
new government with
Micheál Martin
Micheál Martin (; born 16 August 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician serving as Taoiseach since January 2025, having previously held the position from 2020 to 2022. Martin served as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Min ...
as Taoiseach on 27 June 2020.
Flanagan had previously said he intended to contest the
next general election, but on 25 September 2023, he announced that he would not run, citing the split of Laois–Offaly constituency into two constituencies.
RIC commemoration
As Minister for Justice in 2020, Flanagan was behind plans for a state commemoration of the
Royal Irish Constabulary
The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the island was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom. A sep ...
(RIC), the police force in Ireland during British administration. This drew widespread criticism from politicians and the public, largely due to the RIC's role in suppressing Irish independence movements, and atrocities by the
Black and Tans
The Black and Tans () were constables recruited into the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) as reinforcements during the Irish War of Independence. Recruitment began in Great Britain in January 1920, and about 10,000 men enlisted during the conflic ...
during the
War of Independence
Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...
.
A member of the government-appointed advisory group said they had "recommended a simple ceremony in Dublin Castle, but somebody lost the run of themselves and called it a State event".
The backlash forced Flanagan to defer the commemoration, but he committed to holding another in future.
Flanagan supported a memorial wall in
Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery () is a large cemetery in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland which opened in 1832. It holds the graves and memorials of several notable figures, and has a museum.
Location
The cemetery is located in Glasnevin, Dublin, in two part ...
that drew controversy for commemorating British soldiers alongside Irish revolutionaries. He condemned the decision to take down the wall as a "victory for bullies". Flanagan has also defended his wearing of the
remembrance poppy
A remembrance poppy is an artificial flower worn in some countries to commemorate their military personnel who died in war. Remembrance poppies are produced by veterans' associations, which exchange the poppies for charitable donations used to g ...
, a historically
controversial emblem in Ireland, calling it an "international symbol of remembrance".
Political views
In 2009, Flanagan expressed support for legalising adoption for same-sex couples, describing it as a "glaring omission" from a bill signed by Minister for Justice
Dermot Ahern. He supported the legalisation of gay marriage in Ireland's
2015 referendum, praising "a new and modern Ireland" and "a great day for tolerance, inclusion
ndpluralism". He campaigned in favour of a Yes vote in the
2018 Irish abortion referendum. In 2018, Flanagan delivered an apology in the
Seanad on behalf of the state, to those who suffered as a result of homosexuality being criminalised. In 2019, as Minister for Justice, Flanagan signed an exclusion order banning anti-gay preacher
Steven Anderson from entering Ireland.
Flanagan has criticised the Irish press for their coverage of
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, accusing them of "demonisation" and "slavishly dancing to the Palestinian drumbeat for decades". As Minister for Foreign Affairs, he resisted calls to expel the
Israeli ambassador to Ireland,
Boaz Moda'i.
Personal life
Flanagan is married and has two daughters.
References
External links
Charlie Flanagan's page on the Fine Gael website
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Flanagan, Charles
1956 births
Alumni of University College Dublin
Fine Gael TDs
Living people
Members of Laois County Council
Members of the 25th Dáil
Members of the 26th Dáil
Members of the 27th Dáil
Members of the 28th Dáil
Members of the 30th Dáil
Members of the 31st Dáil
Members of the 32nd Dáil
Members of the 33rd Dáil
Ministers for foreign affairs of Ireland
Ministers for justice of Ireland
People from Mountmellick
Politicians from County Laois
Fine Gael local councillors