Dan Boyle (politician)

Daniel Boyle (born 14 August 1962) is an Irish Green Party politician and author who served as Deputy leader of the Seanad from 2007 to 2011. He was a Senator from 2007 to 2011, after being nominated by the Taoiseach. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork South-Central from 2002 to 2007.[1]

Dan Boyle
Lord Mayor of Cork
Assumed office
June 2024
Deputy leader of the Seanad
In office
16 August 2007 – 23 January 2011
TaoiseachBrian Cowen
LeaderDonie Cassidy
Preceded byJohn Dardis
Succeeded byIvana Bacik
Senator
In office
13 September 2007 – 25 May 2011
ConstituencyNominated by the Taoiseach
Teachta Dála
In office
June 2002 – June 2007
ConstituencyCork South-Central
Personal details
Born
Daniel Boyle

(1962-08-14) 14 August 1962 (age 62)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
NationalityIrish
Political partyGreen Party
Spouse
Bláithín Hurley
(m. 1987; div. 2014)
Children1
EducationColáiste Chríost Rí
Alma mater

He was elected to Cork City Council in May 2019.[2]

Early life and education

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Boyle was born in Chicago, Illinois, to emigrant Irish parents. He has lived in his mother's native city of Cork since he was eight years of age, in the Turners Cross area of the city. He was educated at local schools; Scoil Chríost Rí and Coláiste Chríost Rí, and at the Cork Institute of Technology, where he studied Business Studies and Child Care. He received an MBS in Government from University College Cork in 2015. He was married to Bláithín Hurley from 1987 to 2014,[3][4] they have one daughter.

At the time of the 1992 general election, he had served as a board member of the Cork Youth Federation, the National Youth Federation, and as chair of the National Youth Clubs Council.[5]

Political career

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In 1991, he won election to Cork City Council, the first Green Party candidate to do so.[6] At the 2002 general election, he was elected to Dáil Éireann for the Cork South-Central constituency. He was the Green Party Spokesperson for Finance, Social and Family Affairs and Community, Rural Development and the Islands during the 29th Dáil. He was also the party whip. In 2002, he resigned his seat on Cork City Council, where he was replaced by Chris O'Leary.

At the 2007 general election, Boyle lost his seat in the Dáil. He was subsequently part of the Green Party team that negotiated a programme that brought the party into the Irish government for the first time in its history. He was nominated by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to Seanad Éireann as a Senator on 3 August 2007. He was appointed as Deputy leader of the Seanad on 16 August 2007.[7] He succeeded John Gormley as Chair of the Green Party in 2007. He was succeeded in that office by Roderic O'Gorman in 2011.

He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Green Party in the 2009 European Parliament election for the South constituency.[8]

Commenting on Willie O'Dea's defamation case on 17 February 2010, Boyle said that he has "no confidence" in O'Dea and declaring him to be "compromised".[9] On 18 February 2010, O'Dea resigned as Minister for Defence.[10]

He ran for Dáil Éireann in Cork South-Central constituency at the 2011 general election, but failed to get elected. He stood as a candidate in the 2011 Seanad election on the Industrial and Commercial Panel but was not elected. He was an unsuccessful Green Party candidate for Cork City Council at the 2014 local elections. In May 2019, Boyle was elected to Cork City Council for the Cork South Central local electoral area.[2][11][12] In November 2019, he sought to have further drive-thru restaurants banned in Cork.[13] The Southern Star reported in October 2020 that Boyle was a voluntary board member of CHA, an Approved Housing Body (2020).[14] He has also served as a board member of the Firkin Crane, the Crawford Art Gallery, Corcadorca Theatre Company, Terence MacSwiney Community College and the Lavitt Gallery. He is currently a board member of Arts at Civic Trust House CLG.[15] He was made a community representative on the Public Participation Network for Cork City Council.[16][17] Boyle has served as Vice President of the National Youth Council of Ireland and Chair of NASC, the Irish Immigrant Support Agency.[18]

As of 2021, Boyle served on the Board of the Irish Council of Social Housing.[19]

On 21 June 2024, Boyle was elected as Lord Mayor of Cork, the first Green Party lord mayor of Cork city.[20]

Other work

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In 2011, he released a music album titled Third Adolescence.[21]

He has authored three books on political history - A Journey to Change (2006); Without Power of Glory (2012) and Making Up The Numbers (2017).

He was later hired by the Wales Green Party in 2015, as their campaign manager for the 2016 Welsh Assembly election.[22] In 2015, he was credited by the Irish Examiner as being the driving force behind the Green Foundation think tank.

References

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  1. ^ "Dan Boyle". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Dan Boyle returns to City Hall on the Green wave". Echo Live. 26 May 2019. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Savouring the riches of 'Raggy'". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Dan Boyle: It's not easy being Green". independent. 29 August 2010. Archived from the original on 23 March 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Dan Boyle Flyer -Green Party -Cork South Central 1992". Irish Election Literature. 10 March 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Dan Boyle Books | World of Books". www.worldofbooks.com. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  7. ^ "New deputy pledges Seanad reform". BreakingNews.ie. 16 August 2007. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2008.
  8. ^ "Dan Boyle". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 18 May 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  9. ^ "Boyle's 'no confidence' in Minister Willie O'Dea". The Irish Times. 17 February 2010. Archived from the original on 21 January 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  10. ^ "Willie O'Dea resigns as Minister for Defence". RTÉ News. 18 February 2010. Archived from the original on 20 February 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  11. ^ "Full Ireland South recount to go ahead; could cost €1m". Echo Live. 30 May 2019. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  12. ^ "By-elections at right time for Greens". Irish Examiner. 19 November 2019. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  13. ^ O'Connell, Dylan (20 November 2019). "Cork politician wants to ban drive thru restaurants". Cork Beo. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Community - Skibbereen - Carbery House". The Southern Star. 17 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Arts at Civic Trust House Company Limited by guarantee". Companies Registration Office Ireland. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Irish Times". www.google.ie. Archived from the original on 2 January 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  17. ^ Dan Boyle
  18. ^ Boyle (27 November 2017). Making up the Numbers: Smaller Parties and Independents in Irish Politics. ASIN 1845889541.
  19. ^ "ICSH Council and Board of Directors". Irish Council for Social Housing. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  20. ^ "Boyle to become first Green lord mayor of Cork city". RTÉ News. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  21. ^ "Senator Dan Boyle is hoping to strike a chord with the public with the launch of his first album". RTÉ News. 15 December 2011. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012.
  22. ^ "Wales Green Party to announce new Leader at campaign office opening". 11 December 2015. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2016.