Declan Breathnach (born 3 June 1958) is an Irish former

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...

politician who 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

Louth Louth may refer to: Australia *Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town * Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia ** Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * Cou ...

constituency from 2016 to 2020.

Early life

A native of

Knockbridge Knockbridge () is a village in County Louth, Ireland. 7 km south-west of Dundalk, it is in the townland of Ballinlough (''Baile an Locha'') in the historical barony of Dundalk Upper. As of the 2022 census, the village had a population of ...

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...

, Breathnach was educated at Dundalk CBS (now Coláiste Rís) and St Patrick's College (which has become a part of

Dublin City University Dublin City University (abbreviated as DCU) () is a Third-level education in the Republic of Ireland, university based on the Northside, Dublin, Northside of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Created as the ''National Institute for Highe ...

), where he earned a Bachelor degree in Education. He has worked within primary schools for 35 years as a teacher and principal.

Political career

Breathnach has been a member of Fianna Fáil since his early teens. He had served as a

Cumann A ( Irish for association; plural ) is the lowest local unit or branch of a number of Irish political parties. The term ''cumann'' may also be used to describe a non-political association. Cumainn are usually made up of 5+ (the recommendation ...

Secretary, member of the officer board of Louth Comhairle Dáil Ceantair (constituency council) and as the Louth constituency representative on the Fianna Fáil National Executive, a position held up until his election as a member of

Louth County Council Louth County Council () is the local authority of County Louth, 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 an ...

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

. Since Breathnach's first election to

in 1991, he successfully retained his seat for 25 years, across 5 elections. Breathnach served as a Louth County Councillor until 2016 and was elected on two occasions as Cathaoirleach of the council. He also served as joint chairperson of the memorandum of association between

Down Down most often refers to: * Down, the relative direction opposed to up * Down (gridiron football), in North American/gridiron football, a period when one play takes place * Down feather, a soft bird feather used in bedding and clothing * Downland ...

Council and Louth Council from 2010 to 2015. In 2010 as Leas-Chathaoirleach (deputy chair) of Louth County Council he signed this memorandum in Brussels with representatives of

Newry and Mourne District Council Newry and Mourne District Council () was a local council in Northern Ireland. It merged with Down District Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. It inclu ...

, Dundalk Town Council, Drogheda Borough Council and Ardee Town Council. This led to the creation of the committee of which he became the joint chairperson. He also was a member of the East Border Regions committee, and served as the chairperson of the Louth County Council Special Policy Group on Infrastructure, European and Cross-Border Matters. He successfully contested the

constituency at 2016 general election, receiving 9,099 first preference votes (13.5%). He previously contested the Louth constituency at 2011 general election but was not elected. Recognising his particular interest in Cross-Border matters Breathnach was appointed as Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on North-South Bodies & Cross-Border Co-Operation and Vice-Chairman of the Oireachtas

Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement Committees of the Oireachtas are committees and sub-committees and select committees of Dáil Éireann and Joint Committees of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann, that are small groups of Teachta Dála, TDs and Seanad Éireann, senators of the ...

. He also served as Vice-Chairperson of the

British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly The British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly (BIPA, ) is a deliberative body consisting of members elected to those national legislative bodies found within Ireland and the United Kingdom, namely the parliaments of the United Kingdom, Ireland, S ...

. Breathnach lost his Dáil seat at the 2020 general election, leaving the Louth constituency without a Fianna Fáil TD for the first time in the history of the state. He also contested the

2020 Seanad election An indirect election to the 26th Seanad took place after the 2020 Irish general election, with postal ballots due on 30 and 31 March. Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas, with Dáil Éireann as the lower house of representative ...

, but was unsuccessful.

Addendum

On 9 July 2020, Breathnach formally apologised to Sinn Féin President

Mary Lou McDonald Mary Louise McDonald (born 1 May 1969) is an Irish politician who has served as Leader of the Opposition in Ireland since June 2020, as President of Sinn Féin since February 2018, and as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Central constituen ...

regarding a tweet from 11 October 2018. The tweet, posted on the second anniversary of the murder of Garda Tony Golden, has been deleted since. The tweet accused McDonald of being a hypocrite and condoning the deaths of multiple Gardaí, the settlement included a formal apology to McDonald but other terms were kept confidential.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breathnach, Declan 1958 births Living people Fianna Fáil TDs Heads of schools in Ireland Irish schoolteachers Members of Louth County Council Members of the 32nd Dáil People from Dundalk