Maurice Quinlivan (born 1967/1968) is an Irish

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

politician who 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

Limerick City 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 ...

constituency since the 2016 general election. He was appointed Chair of the Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment in September 2020. He was chosen as

's nominee for

Mayor of Limerick The Mayor of Limerick is the head of the local government of the Limerick, City and County Limerick, County of Limerick. It is a directly elected office with a five-year term. Following the 2024 Limerick mayoral election, John Moran (Mayor of Li ...

, at the 2024 election. He gained prominence for being libelled by

Willie O'Dea William Gerard 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 ser ...

, while O'Dea was Minister for Defence.

Personal life

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

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 ...

, with his wife. His brother Nessan Quinlivan is a former

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

volunteer. He has 3 sisters.

Political career

Early elections

He previously ran unsuccessfully as a Sinn Féin candidate at the 2004 local elections for Limerick City Council and for Limerick East at the 2007 general election.

2009 defamation case

During the 2009 local election campaign, Willie O'Dea gave an interview to the Limerick Leader. In response to criticism about the use of Department of Defence 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 ''deposition (law), deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by la ...

, 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 Minister for Defence, over accusations that he had committed perjury.

Limerick City Councillor (2009–2016)

Quinlivan was elected to Limerick City Council in

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

. 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.

TD for Limerick City (2016–present)

Quinlivan was elected at the 2016 general election taking the second seat in the

constituency. He was re-elected at the 2020 general election, topping the poll ahead of his constituency rival,

. In September 2020, Quinlivan was appointed as the Chair of the Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment. On 3 April 2024,

chose Quinlivan as their nominee for the 2024 Limerick mayoral election.

References

External links

*
Maurice Quinlivan's page on the Sinn Féin website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinlivan, Maurice Living people 1960s births Members of Limerick City Council Members of the 32nd Dáil Sinn Féin TDs (post-1923) Members of the 33rd Dáil Members of Limerick City and County Council Sinn Féin local councillors in the Republic of Ireland Members of the 34th Dáil Year of birth missing (living people)