Tom Sheahan

Irish former Fine Gael politician (b. 1968)

Tom Sheahan
Senator
In office
May 2011 – June 2016
ConstituencyAdministrative Panel
Teachta Dála
In office
May 2007 – February 2011
ConstituencyKerry South
Personal details
Born (1968-09-05) 5 September 1968 (age 55)
Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland
Political partyFine Gael

Tom Sheahan (born 5 September 1968) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as a Senator for the Administrative Panel from 2011 to 2016 and a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Kerry South constituency from 2007 to 2011.[1]

He was elected to the 30th Dáil at the 2007 general election.[2] He was elected to Kerry County Council for the Killarney local electoral area following the 2004 local elections.

He was the Fine Gael deputy spokesperson on Agriculture, with special responsibility for Forestry from October 2010 to March 2011. Previously, he served as deputy spokesperson on Agriculture, with special responsibility for Fisheries from 2007 to 2010.

He is a member of the Kerry Mental Health Association, Rathmore Community Council and Rathmore GAA Club.

He lost his seat at the 2011 general election to party colleague Brendan Griffin. He was subsequently elected to Seanad Éireann as a Senator for the Administrative Panel in April 2011.[2] He was the Fine Gael Seanad Spokesperson on Public Expenditure and Reform.

In September 2012, he made remarks in the Seanad in which he referred to the accidental death of a Garda and claimed a Sinn Féin member had allegedly said "they would have done a much cleaner job". His comments were criticised by the Garda Representatives Association, and by the Sinn Féin Kerry North TD Martin Ferris, who challenged Sheahan to name the person.[3]

In 2014, Sheahan made "anti-Traveller" comments which sparked a controversy in County Kerry. He later denied the misinterpretation of his comment and clarified his stance on the matter of Irish Travellers and Roma communities.[4]

He was an unsuccessful candidate at the 2020 Seanad election.

References

  1. ^ "Tom Sheahan". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
  2. ^ a b "Tom Sheahan". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
  3. ^ "Senator's remarks over death of garda criticised by GRA". Irish Examiner. 15 September 2012.
  4. ^ "Senator denies 'anti-Traveller' comments". Irish Independent. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
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Teachtaí Dála (TDs) for the Kerry South constituency
This table is transcluded from Kerry South (Dáil constituency). (edit | history)
Dáil Election Deputy
(Party)
Deputy
(Party)
Deputy
(Party)
9th 1937 John Flynn
(FF)
Frederick Crowley
(FF)
Fionán Lynch
(FG)
10th 1938
11th 1943 John Healy
(FF)
12th 1944
1944 by-election Donal O'Donoghue
(FF)
1945 by-election Honor Crowley
(FF)
13th 1948 John Flynn
(Ind)
Patrick Palmer
(FG)
14th 1951
15th 1954 John Flynn
(FF)
16th 1957 John Joe Rice
(SF)
17th 1961 Timothy O'Connor
(FF)
Patrick Connor
(FG)
18th 1965
1966 by-election John O'Leary
(FF)
19th 1969 Michael Begley
(FG)
20th 1973
21st 1977
22nd 1981 Michael Moynihan
(Lab)
23rd 1982 (Feb)
24th 1982 (Nov)
25th 1987 John O'Donoghue[a]
(FF)
26th 1989 Michael Moynihan
(Lab)
27th 1992 Breeda Moynihan-Cronin
(Lab)
28th 1997 Jackie Healy-Rae
(Ind)
29th 2002
30th 2007 Tom Sheahan
(FG)
31st 2011 Tom Fleming
(Ind)
Michael Healy-Rae
(Ind)
Brendan Griffin
(FG)
32nd 2016 Constituency abolished. See Kerry
  1. ^ O'Donoghue served as Ceann Comhairle in the 30th Dáil from 2007 to 2009.
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Administrative Panel
Agricultural Panel
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Dublin University
  • Ivana Bacik (Lab)
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  • David Norris (Ind)
National University
Nominated by the Taoiseach
Elected or appointed later