Charlie McConalogue

Charlie McConalogue (born 29 October 1977) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine since September 2020. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Donegal constituency since 2016, and previously from 2011 to 2016 for the Donegal North-East constituency. He previously served as Minister of State for Law Reform from July 2020 to September 2020.[2]

Charlie McConalogue

TD
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Assumed office
2 September 2020
TaoiseachMicheál Martin
Preceded byMicheál Martin (acting)
Minister of State for Law Reform
In office
1 July 2020 – 2 September 2020
TaoiseachMicheál Martin
Preceded byNew office
Succeeded byJames Browne
Teachta Dála
Assumed office
February 2016
ConstituencyDonegal
In office
February 2011 – February 2016
ConstituencyDonegal North-East
Personal details
Born
Charles McConalogue

(1977-10-29) 29 October 1977[1]
Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland
NationalityIrish
Political partyFianna Fáil
Alma materUniversity College Dublin

Early life

McConalogue has a degree in economics, politics and history from University College Dublin (UCD), which he completed after a year as Education Officer in the UCD Students' Union. After graduation, he worked as a political organiser at the Fianna Fáil HQ in Dublin. Upon the death of his father, he returned home to Carndonagh, County Donegal, to manage the family farm.[3]

Political career

McConalogue was elected to Donegal County Council at the 2009 local elections to represent the Inishowen local electoral area.[4]

After Jim McDaid's retirement and Niall Blaney's decision to step down from politics for personal reasons, Fianna Fáil had no sitting TD in Donegal North-East to contest the 2011 general election. The party chose McConalogue as Fianna Fáil's sole candidate for the constituency.

In the election, he won 17.4% of the first-preference vote and was elected on the 9th count to fill the third and final seat, behind Sinn Féin's Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Fine Gael's Joe McHugh.[5] He was the Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Children from April 2011 to July 2012. In July 2012, he was appointed as party spokesperson on Education and Skills.

In the 2016 general election, after a redrawing of constituency boundaries, McConalogue ran alongside Pat "the Cope" Gallagher as one of two Fianna Fáil candidates in the new five-seater Donegal constituency. McConalogue topped the poll and was elected on the first count.[6]

He represented Fianna Fáil in talks on government formation in 2016.[7]

On 1 July 2020, McConalogue was appointed as a Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality with responsibility for law reform.[8] On 2 September that year, he was appointed as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, with the vacancy having arisen following the Oireachtas Golf Society scandal.[9] On 23 December, all ministers in the Government restricted their movements after it emerged that McConalogue had tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from Brussels on 17 December. The initial result was negative. McConalogue went shopping in Dublin city centre hours ahead of a scheduled five-day follow-up COVID-19 test which led to the positive result he received "sometime between 10.30am and 11am" on 23 December. He displayed no symptoms and isolated in his native Donegal.[10]

References
  1. Tim Ryan (2020). Nealon's Guide to the 33rd Dáil and 26th Seanad and the 2019 Local and European Elections. Grand Canal Publishing.
  2. "Charlie McConalogue". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  3. Fionnan Sheahan (9 February 2011). "Donegal North-East: Wipeout feared as FF reduced to one candidate". Irish Independent. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  4. "Candidates 2011: Charlie McConalogue". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  5. "Charlie McConalogue". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  6. "Donegal count: Independent Thomas Pringle takes final seat". The Irish Times. 28 February 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  7. McGee, Harry (12 March 2016). "Fianna Fáil's negotiating team for government talks revealed". The Irish Times.
  8. "These are the 17 new junior ministers completing the government". Irish Examiner. 1 July 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  9. Keaveny, Michael (2 September 2020). "Charlie McConalogue named as new Minister for Agriculture". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  10. O'Connell, Hugh; Molony, Senan; McQuinn, Cormac (24 December 2020). "Minister who tested positive for Covid after shopping trip 'followed all rules'". Irish Independent. Retrieved 7 January 2021. McNulty, Fran (23 December 2020). "Agriculture Minister tests positive for Covid-19". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. Retrieved 23 December 2020. McNally, Tadgh; Hennessy, Michelle; Finn, Christina; Brophy, Daragh (23 December 2020). "All ministers restricting their movements after member of Cabinet tests positive for Covid-19". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 23 December 2020. Horgan-Jones, Jack; Leahy, Pat; Clarke, Vivienne (23 December 2020). "Minister for Agriculture tests positive for Covid-19 prompting colleagues to restrict movements". The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
Oireachtas
Preceded by
Jim McDaid
Niall Blaney
Joe McHugh		 Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for Donegal North-East
2011–2016		 Constituency abolished
Preceded by
New constituency		 Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for Donegal
2016–present		 Incumbent
Political offices
New office Minister of State for Law Reform
2020		 Succeeded by
James Browne
Preceded by
Micheál Martin (acting)		 Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine
2020–present		 Incumbent
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