Simon Harris (boxer)
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Simon Harris (born 17 October 1986) is 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 serving as
Tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the second-ranking member of the government of Ireland and the holder of its second-most senior office. It is the equivalent of the deputy prime minister in other parliamentary systems. The Tánaiste is appointed by the P ...
,
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 ...
and Minister for Defence since January 2025, having previously served 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 ...
from 2024 to 2025. He has been
leader of Fine Gael The Leader of Fine Gael is the most senior politician within the Fine Gael political party in Ireland. The party leader is Simon Harris, who took up the role on 24 March 2024 after the resignation of Leo Varadkar. The deputy leader of Fine Gael ...
since 2024 and a TD for the Wicklow constituency since 2011. A
Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...
minister since 2016, he previously served as a
minister of state Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...
from 2014 to 2016. Born in
Greystones Greystones () is a coastal town and seaside resort in County Wicklow, Ireland. It lies on Ireland's east coast, south of Bray and south of Dublin city centre and has a population of 22,009, according to the 2022 census. The town is border ...
, Harris became politically active as a teenager, campaigning on behalf of children with
autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...
and
attention deficit disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple con ...
. He was elected to
Wicklow County Council Wicklow County Council () is the local authority of County Wicklow, 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 ...
in the 2009 local elections. He was 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 2011 general election, becoming the "
baby of the Dáil In common terminology, a baby is the very young offspring of adult human beings, while infant (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'baby' or 'child') is a formal or specialised synonym. The terms may also be used to refer to juveniles of ...
" at age 24, and was appointed
Minister of State at the Department of Finance The Minister of State at the Department of Finance is a junior ministerial post in the Department of Finance of the Government of Ireland. A Minister of State does not hold cabinet rank. The position was created on 1 January 1978, replacing the ...
in 2014. Following the formation of a Fine Gael minority government in 2016, he was appointed
Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental heal ...
. On the formation of the
coalition government A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...
in 2020, he was appointed
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science ( Irish: ''An tAire Breisoideachais agus Ardoideachais, Taighde, Nuálaíochta agus Eolaíochta'') is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the ...
. From December 2022 to June 2023, he also served as
Minister for Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
during the maternity leave of Cabinet colleague
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) ...
. After
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, ...
resigned in March 2024, Harris was the only candidate in the 2024 Fine Gael leadership election. Appointed Taoiseach on 9 April 2024 at age 37, he became the youngest holder of the office in the state's history. Due to his use of social media he was dubbed the "
TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...
Taoiseach".


Early life

Harris was born in
Greystones Greystones () is a coastal town and seaside resort in County Wicklow, Ireland. It lies on Ireland's east coast, south of Bray and south of Dublin city centre and has a population of 22,009, according to the 2022 census. The town is border ...
,
County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...
, in 1986. He is the eldest of three children born to Bart, a taxi driver, and Mary Harris, a special needs assistant and Montessori teacher. His sister was born on his third birthday, and his brother is eight years younger than him. A grand-uncle of his was a Fine Gael councillor in
Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in County Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built up alongside a small existing settlement following 1816 legislation th ...
. Harris was educated at St David's Holy Faith Secondary School in Greystones, where he was active in drama and was
head boy The two Senior Prefects, individually called Head Boy (for the male), and Head Girl (for the female) are students who carry leadership roles and are responsible for representing the school's entire student body. Although mostly out of use, in some ...
. At the age of 13, he had written a play. He first became involved in local politics as a fifteen-year-old when he set up the North Wicklow Triple A Alliance to help the families of
autistic Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing di ...
children and children with
attention deficit disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple con ...
. As a
Junior Certificate The Junior Cycle () is the first stage of the education programme for post-primary education within the Republic of Ireland. It is overseen by the Department of Education (Ireland), Department of Education and the National Council for Curriculu ...
student, he lobbied politicians to get better facilities to allow children with such disabilities to be integrated into mainstream education. Harris was a member of
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 ...
and canvassed for
Dick Roche Richard Roche (born 30 March 1947) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister of State for European Affairs from 2002 to 2004 and 2007 to 2011 and Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from 2004 to ...
in the
2002 Irish general election The 2002 Irish general election to the 29th Dáil was held on Friday, 17 May, just over three weeks after the Dissolution of parliament, dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday, 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoise ...
, but was later convinced to join Fine Gael by
Enda Kenny Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence (Ireland), Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 201 ...
. He was elected to
Young Fine Gael Young Fine Gael (YFG) is the autonomous youth wing of Fine Gael, one of Ireland’s major centre-right political parties. It offers its members scope to assist in formulation of political policy, and the day-to-day running of the senior party. ...
's national executive in 2003. Harris initially studied Valuation Surveying (AKA Property Economics) for a year (2004/5) before switching to Journalism and French both at
Dublin Institute of Technology Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT, ) was a major third-level institution in Dublin, Ireland. On 1 January 2019 DIT was dissolved and its functions were transferred to the Technological University Dublin, as TU Dublin City Campus. The insti ...
, and dropped out during 2005/2006 academic year to pursue a career in politics.


Early political career

Harris began working as a parliamentary assistant to his future cabinet colleague Frances Fitzgerald in 2008, when she was a member of
Seanad Éireann Seanad Éireann ( ; ; "Senate of Ireland") is the senate of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (defined as the house of representatives). It is commonly called the Seanad or ...
. At the 2009 local elections, Harris was elected to
Wicklow County Council Wicklow County Council () is the local authority of County Wicklow, 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 ...
, with the highest percentage vote of any
county councillor A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Australia In the Australian state of New South Wales, county councils are special purpose ...
in Ireland, and to Greystones
Town Council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland In 2002, 49 urban district councils and 26 town commissi ...
. As a councillor, he served as chairperson of the County Wicklow Joint Policing Committee and Chairperson of the HSE Regional Health Forum. He was a member of Wicklow County Council's Housing Strategic Policy Committee and Wicklow Vocational Educational Committee. Harris was 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 ...
in 2011, taking the third seat in the
Wicklow Wicklow ( ; , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; ) is the county town of County Wicklow in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the east of Ireland, south of Dublin. According to the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had ...
constituency. As the youngest deputy in the
31st Dáil The 31st Dáil was elected at the 2011 general election on 25 February 2011 and first met at midday on 9 March 2011 in Leinster House. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are k ...
, he was selected by Fine Gael to nominate
Enda Kenny Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence (Ireland), Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 201 ...
for
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 ...
, making his maiden speech. Harris served on the Dáil
Public Accounts Committee A public accounts committee (PAC) is a committee within a legislature whose role is to study public audits, invite ministers, permanent secretaries or other ministry officials to the committee for questioning, and report on their findings subseque ...
(PAC) and the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, and Reform. He was also a member of the
Oireachtas The Oireachtas ( ; ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of the president of Ireland and the two houses of the Oireachtas (): a house ...
cross-party group on Mental Health, and introduced the Mental Health (Anti-Discrimination) Bill 2013, in June 2013. Harris ran unsuccessfully as a Fine Gael candidate in the
South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
constituency at the
2014 European Parliament election The 2014 European Parliament election was held in the European Union (EU) between 22 and 25 May 2014. It was the 8th parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979, and the first in which the European political parties field ...
.


In government


Minister of State

On 15 July 2014, Harris was appointed as
Minister of State at the Department of Finance The Minister of State at the Department of Finance is a junior ministerial post in the Department of Finance of the Government of Ireland. A Minister of State does not hold cabinet rank. The position was created on 1 January 1978, replacing the ...
with responsibility for the
Office of Public Works The Office of Public Works (OPW) (; legally the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland) is a major Government of Ireland, Irish Government agency, which manages most of the Irish State's property portfolio, including hundreds of owned and ren ...
, Public Procurement, and International Banking. During a period of intense flooding throughout the country during the winter of 2015 and 2016, Harris was forced to deny accusations that the government had left €13m in the budget for flood relief works in 2015 unspent, while he had also secured funding for flood defences in his own constituency.


Minister for Health

On 6 May 2016, Harris was appointed to the cabinet as
Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental heal ...
. In his first year in the job, Harris faced the possibility of 30,000 health workers and 40,000 nurses going on strike. The planned strikes were later called off. In 2016, Harris contributed to the "A Healthy Weight for Ireland – Obesity Policy and Action Plan 2016–2025", a policy outlining "the Government's desire to assist its people to achieve better health, and in particular to reduce the levels of overweight and obesity", in which Harris claims that "the approach taken in developing this policy was based on the Government framework for improved health and wellbeing of Ireland". In 2017, Harris was accused of "practising hypocrisy" over his stance on the Sisters of Charity's ownership of the National Maternity Hospital. The controversy saw the resignations of
Peter Boylan Peter Boylan is a retired Irish consultant obstetrician, and former master of the National Maternity Hospital, Dublin (Holles Street Hospital). He was born in Dublin to Henry Boylan and his wife Patricia Boylan ( Clancy). He was educated at ...
and Chris Fitzpatrick from the board of the hospital. The Religious Sisters of Charity later relinquished ownership of three hospitals: St. Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin, St. Vincent's Private, and St. Michael's. Harris was re-appointed when
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, ...
succeeded Kenny as Taoiseach in June 2017.


Abortion legislation

Harris supported the legalisation of abortion in Ireland. He was the minister responsible for the Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution, approved in a referendum, which removed the constitutional ban on abortion. He also introduced the
Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 ( Act No. 31 of 2018; previously Bill No. 105 of 2018) is an Act of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament) which defines the circumstances and processes within which abortion may be legally ...
which permitted abortion under specified circumstances.


Cervical cancer

On 26 April 2018, the HSE confirmed that 206 women developed cervical cancer after having a screening test which was subsequently deemed to be potentially inaccurate on lookback, once a woman presented with a confirmed diagnosis of Cervical Cancer and given the known limitations of screening using smear technology. In the resulting scandal, Harris was criticised for his handling of the matter on multiple occasions. In 2018, Harris intervened in the case of an 8-year-old Chinese boy who had been born in Dublin but was facing deportation. After an appeal to the
Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
, the boy was permitted to remain in Ireland.


Motion of no confidence

On 20 February 2019, Harris survived a motion of no-confidence over his handling of the rising costs (over €2 billion) of the new
National Children's Hospital The National Children's Hospital () was a children's teaching hospital in Dublin, Ireland. It was absorbed into the Tallaght Hospital in June 1998. History The hospital was founded by Sir Philip Crampton, Sir Henry Marsh and Dr Charles Johnsto ...
. The motion was voted down by 58 votes to 53 with 37 abstentions.


Health (Preservation and Protection) Act 2020

Harris introduced the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020, emergency legislation in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, which was enacted on 20 March 2020.


Micheál Martin government

On 27 June 2020, Harris was appointed as
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science ( Irish: ''An tAire Breisoideachais agus Ardoideachais, Taighde, Nuálaíochta agus Eolaíochta'') is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the ...
, leading a new department 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 ...
. On 4 May 2022, he published "Funding our Future", a new policy on sustainably funding higher education and reducing the cost of third-level education for students and families. Harris was the Fine Gael Director of Elections for councillor James Geoghegan's campaign in the
2021 Dublin Bay South by-election A by-election was held in the Dáil Éireann constituency of Dublin Bay South in Ireland on Thursday, 8 July 2021, to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of the Fine Gael TD Eoghan Murphy. The by-election was won by Senator Ivana Bacik ...
. Following Leo Varadkar's appointment as Taoiseach on 17 December 2022, he was re-appointed to the same position, as well as
Minister for Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
on a temporary basis during the maternity leave of
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) ...
.


Taoiseach (2024–2025)


Fine Gael leader

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, ...
resigned as
leader of Fine Gael The Leader of Fine Gael is the most senior politician within the Fine Gael political party in Ireland. The party leader is Simon Harris, who took up the role on 24 March 2024 after the resignation of Leo Varadkar. The deputy leader of Fine Gael ...
on 20 March 2024, triggering a
leadership election A leadership election is a political contest held in various countries by which the members of a political party determine who will be the leader of their party. Generally, any political party can determine its own rules governing how and when a ...
. Varadkar indicated that he would also resign as Taoiseach upon the election of the new Fine Gael leader. Nominations opened at 10 a.m. on 21 March 2024. By that afternoon, more than half of the Fine Gael parliamentary party had announced their support for Harris to be the next leader and all other cabinet ministers had ruled themselves out of the contest. Harris confirmed his intention to run for Fine Gael leader on the evening of 21 March 2024 on the '' Six One News''. When the deadline for nominations was reached on 24 March 2024, Harris was the only candidate, and he was confirmed as leader at the party's meeting in Athlone the same day. Both other government parties have indicated that they wish the government to run its full term notwithstanding the change of leadership. Varadkar tendered his resignation as Taoiseach to the President on 8 April. The Dáil reconvened after the Easter recess on 9 April, when Harris was forwarded for the nomination of Taoiseach.


Entering government

Following the resignation of Varadkar as Taoiseach on 8 April, Harris was nominated by the Dáil as Taoiseach on 9 April 2024, by a vote of 88 to 69. He received his appointment as Taoiseach by President
Michael D. Higgins Michael Daniel Higgins (; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, broadcaster, and sociologist who has been serving as the president of Ireland since 2011. Entering national politics through the Labour Party, he served as a senator ...
shortly afterwards as the youngest in the history of the state. Accepting the nomination of the Dáil, he paid tribute to his predecessor and acknowledged his status as the youngest elected officeholder, promising to be a "Taoiseach for all".


Cabinet

The cabinet formation of the 34th government was announced by Harris in the Dáil that evening; with the appointment of Peter Burke as
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment () is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. The current Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment is Peter Burk ...
after Coveney's departure, likewise with
Patrick O'Donovan Patrick O'Donovan (born 21 March 1977) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport since January 2025. He previously served as Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovati ...
as
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science ( Irish: ''An tAire Breisoideachais agus Ardoideachais, Taighde, Nuálaíochta agus Eolaíochta'') is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the ...
in replacement of Harris.


Policy

Harris condemned the
2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel On October 7, 2023, Hamas and several other Palestinians, Palestinian militant groups launched coordinated armed incursions from the Gaza Strip into the Gaza envelope of southern Israel, the first invasion of Israeli territory since the 1948 ...
. He also criticised
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 ...
's military operations in the
Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...
, saying "It's not about being pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian. It's about being pro-international law. It's been about pro-human rights. It's been pro-peace. And I think what's happening in Gaza is unconscionable." Calling for a
ceasefire A ceasefire (also known as a truce), also spelled cease-fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions often due to mediation by a third party. Ceasefires may b ...
in the
Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
, Harris said: "40,000 dead in Gaza is a milestone the world must be ashamed of. International diplomacy has failed to protect innocent children, some only days old." Ireland announced the
recognition Recognition may refer to: Machine learning *Pattern recognition, a branch of machine learning which encompasses the meanings below Biometric * Recognition of human individuals, or biometrics, used as a form of identification and access control ...
of a
Palestinian state Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, collectively known as th ...
on 28 May 2024, a move he described as "important and historic". In April 2024, Harris said that Ireland would not provide a "loophole" for other countries' immigration issues. This followed an increase in migration of asylum seekers from the United Kingdom to Ireland via the
Irish border Irish commonly refers to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the island and the sovereign state ***Erse (disambiguatio ...
, due to the
Rwanda asylum plan The UK and Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership was an immigration policy proposed by the governments of Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak whereby people whom the United Kingdom identified as illegal immigrants or asylu ...
. Harris dismissed British newspaper speculation that Ireland would join the Rwanda scheme, maintaining that Ireland would have its own immigration policy. In September 2024, Harris defended his statements linking homelessness and migration, by saying that the most common source of homelessness in Dublin was leaving
direct provision Direct provision () is a system of asylum seeker accommodation used in the Republic of Ireland. It has been criticised by human rights organisations as illegal, inhuman and degrading. Operated by the International Protection Accommodation Servic ...
.


General election

On 8 November 2024, after returning from a
European Council The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body (directorial system) and a symbolic collective head of state, that defines the overall political direction and general priorities of the European Union (EU). It is composed of the he ...
meeting in Hungary, Harris sought a dissolution of the
33rd Dáil The 33rd Dáil was elected at the 2020 general election on 8 February 2020 and first met on 20 February 2020. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. It sat wit ...
, which was granted by President
Michael D. Higgins Michael Daniel Higgins (; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, broadcaster, and sociologist who has been serving as the president of Ireland since 2011. Entering national politics through the Labour Party, he served as a senator ...
, and scheduled a general election for 29 November. In a speech at
Government Buildings Government Buildings () is a large Edwardian building enclosing a quadrangle on Merrion Street in Dublin, Ireland, in which several key offices of the Government of Ireland are located. Among the offices of State located in the building are: ...
, Harris said "the time is now right to ask the Irish people to give a new mandate" and "if you give me your trust, I will give you my all". On 22 November, during the final weekend of the campaign, Simon Harris walked away from an emotional exchange with Charlotte Fallon, a carer from St Joseph's Foundation, in
Kanturk Kanturk () is a town in the north west of County Cork, Ireland. It is situated at the confluence of the Allua (Allow) and Dallow (Dalua) rivers, which stream further on as tributaries to the River Blackwater. It is about from Cork and Limeric ...
,
County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...
. Fallon, a worker in a section 39 disability organisation, accused the government of neglecting carers and people with disabilities. Harris dismissed her claims, leading to a tense exchange and his abrupt departure after she called him "not a good man". The incident, captured on video by RTÉ News, drew criticism from activists and opposition politicians who condemned Harris for his dismissive response. Fallon later said she felt "shaken" and upset. Harris rang her the following morning to apologise, admitting he had been "harsh" and should have given her more time. Fine Gael deputy leader Helen McEntee defended Harris, citing the long day of campaigning. Harris was re-elected to the Dáil on the first count. He resigned as Taoiseach on the morning of 18 December, which was the day of the first meeting of the
34th Dáil The 34th Dáil was elected at the 2024 general election on 29 November 2024 and first met on 18 December 2024. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. It is sitt ...
. Harris and the other members of the government continued to carry out their duties until their successors were appointed on 23 January 2025.


Tánaiste (2025–present)

On 23 January 2025, Harris was appointed as
Tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the second-ranking member of the government of Ireland and the holder of its second-most senior office. It is the equivalent of the deputy prime minister in other parliamentary systems. The Tánaiste is appointed by the P ...
,
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 ...
and Minister for Defence 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, following the
2024 general election This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. * 2024 United Nations Security Council election * 2024 national electoral calendar * 2024 local electo ...
.


Personal life

In 2017, Harris married Caoimhe Wade, a cardiac nurse, at St Patrick's Church in
Kilquade Kilquade, historically ''Killcowade'' (), is a townland and a Roman Catholic parish in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It lies between Kilpedder and Kilcoole, about one kilometre east of Junction 12 (Kilpedder) of the N11 national primary ...
. They have a daughter and a son. Harris lives with
Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, abdominal distension, and weight loss. Complications outside of the ...
, but has said it has little impact on his day-to-day life. Harris is the eldest of three siblings. His brother is autistic and runs the autism services charity AsIAm, which Simon Harris co-founded. Harris is noted for his social media presence, especially on
TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...
, having been nicknamed the "''TikTok Taoiseach''". He used
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
for live streams while Minister of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was cited by the ''
Irish Examiner The ''Irish Examiner'', formerly ''The Cork Examiner'' and then ''The Examiner'', is an Republic of Ireland, Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork (city), Cork, though it is ...
'' as a rare occasion in which a government minister took questions from the general public.


See also

* List of youngest serving state leaders


References


External links


Simon Harris's page on the Fine Gael website
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Simon 1986 births Living people Politicians from County Wicklow People from Greystones Taoisigh Fine Gael TDs Leaders of Fine Gael Members of Wicklow County Council Members of the 31st Dáil Members of the 32nd Dáil Members of the 33rd Dáil Ministers for health of Ireland Ministers for justice of Ireland Ministers of State of the 31st Dáil People with Crohn's disease Members of the 34th Dáil Tánaistí Ministers for defence of Ireland Ministers for foreign affairs of Ireland Ministers for education of Ireland