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Martin Heydon (born 9 August 1978) is an Irish
Heydon joined Fine Gael in 2008. He was elected at the 2009 Kildare County Council election on his first attempt. In February 2011, following his election to the Dáil, he was replaced on Kildare County Council by Ivan Keatley.
At the 2011 general election, Heydon contested Kildare South and polled over 12,000 votes, being elected on the first count, more than 3,000 votes over the quota. Fine Gael had been unrepresented in the constituency since Alan Dukes had lost his seat in 2002.
He served as Chair of Fine Gael's Internal Committee on Agriculture and Rural Affairs between 2011 and 2016.
Newbridge Fine Gael Councillor Fiona McLoughlin Healy was added to the ticket for the 2016 general election as his running mate. Heydon won re-election, topping the poll in Kildare South.
On 8 June 2016, Heydon was elected Chair of the Fine Gael parliamentary party, succeeding retired
Martin Heydon's page on the Fine Gael website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heydon, Martin 1978 births Living people Fine Gael TDs 21st-century Irish farmers Members of Kildare County Council Members of the 31st Dáil Members of the 32nd Dáil Members of the 33rd Dáil Politicians from County Kildare Ministers of State of the 33rd Dáil Fine Gael local councillors Members of the 34th Dáil Ministers for agriculture of Ireland
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 has served as Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine since January 2025. He has been 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 Kildare South constituency since 2011. He previously served as Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine from 2020 to 2025 and the Chair of the Fine Gael parliamentary party from 2016 to 2020.
Early life
Heydon is a native of SouthCounty Kildare
County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...
and lives outside of Kilcullen
Kilcullen (), formally Kilcullen Bridge, is a small town on the River Liffey in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Its population of 3,815 at the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census made it the 13th largest settlement in County Kilda ...
town, owning a family farm. He was educated in Crookstown National School, Cross and Passion College Kilcullen and Teagasc
Teagasc (, meaning "Instruction") is the State-sponsored bodies of the Republic of Ireland, semi-state authority in Republic of Ireland, Ireland responsible for research and development, training and advisory services in the agri-food sector.
The ...
Kildalton Agricultural College in County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the City status in Ir ...
.
Political career
Heydon joined Fine Gael in 2008. He was elected at the 2009 Kildare County Council election on his first attempt. In February 2011, following his election to the Dáil, he was replaced on Kildare County Council by Ivan Keatley.
At the 2011 general election, Heydon contested Kildare South and polled over 12,000 votes, being elected on the first count, more than 3,000 votes over the quota. Fine Gael had been unrepresented in the constituency since Alan Dukes had lost his seat in 2002.
He served as Chair of Fine Gael's Internal Committee on Agriculture and Rural Affairs between 2011 and 2016.
Newbridge Fine Gael Councillor Fiona McLoughlin Healy was added to the ticket for the 2016 general election as his running mate. Heydon won re-election, topping the poll in Kildare South.
On 8 June 2016, Heydon was elected Chair of the Fine Gael parliamentary party, succeeding retired Limerick
Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
TD Dan Neville. Heydon's responsibilities in this role included chairing the weekly meeting of the party's TDs, Senators and MEPs.
In July 2020, following the formation of the government of the 33rd Dáil, Heydon was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for Research and Development, Farm Safety and New Market Development.
On 23 January 2025, Heydon was appointed as Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine in the government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
led by 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 ...
, following the 2024 general election.
Personal life
Heydon is married to pharmacist and former ladies' GAA All-Star Brianne Leahy. The couple have three sons and a daughter. He is an officer of his local Gaelic football club, St Laurence's GAA.References
External links
*Martin Heydon's page on the Fine Gael website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heydon, Martin 1978 births Living people Fine Gael TDs 21st-century Irish farmers Members of Kildare County Council Members of the 31st Dáil Members of the 32nd Dáil Members of the 33rd Dáil Politicians from County Kildare Ministers of State of the 33rd Dáil Fine Gael local councillors Members of the 34th Dáil Ministers for agriculture of Ireland