Enda Kenny 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 from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 2017, Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2011, Minister for Tourism and Trade from 1994 to 1997 and Minister of State at the Department of Labour and Department of Education with responsibility for Youth Affairs from 1986 to 1987. He served as Teachta Dála (TD) for Mayo West from 1975 to 1997 and for Mayo from 1997 to 2020.
Michael Lowry is an Irish independent politician who has served as a Teachta Dála (TD) since 1987, currently for the Tipperary constituency. He previously served as Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications from 1994 to 1996 and Chair of the Fine Gael parliamentary party from 1993 to 1994.
Denis Naughten is an Irish independent politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Roscommon–Galway constituency since 2016, and previously from 2007 to 2016 for the Roscommon–South Leitrim constituency and from 1997 to 2007 for the Longford–Roscommon constituency. He was appointed Chair of the Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands in September 2020. He previously served as Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment from 2016 to 2018. He was a Senator for the Agricultural Panel from January 1997 to June 1997.
Brian Hayes is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as a Minister of State from 2011 to 2014, Leader of the Opposition in the Seanad and Leader of Fine Gael in the Seanad from 2002 to 2007. He served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Dublin constituency from 2014 to 2019. He was as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South-West constituency from 1997 to 2002 and 2007 to 2014. He was also a Senator from 1995 to 1997, after being nominated by the Taoiseach and from 2002 to 2007 for the Cultural and Educational Panel.
John Christopher O'Mahony was an Irish Fine Gael politician and football manager who served as a Senator from 2016 to 2020, after being nominated by the Taoiseach. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Mayo constituency from 2007 to 2016.
Kieran O'Donnell is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as a Minister of State since December 2022. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick City constituency since the 2020 general election, and previously from 2011 to 2016 and from 2007 to 2011 for the Limerick East constituency. He was appointed Chair of the Committee on Transport and Communications Networks in September 2020. He was a Senator for the Cultural and Educational Panel from 2016 to 2020.
There are 60 seats in Seanad Éireann, the senate of the Oireachtas. Its composition is set out in Article 18 of the Constitution of Ireland. This provides for 11 senators to be nominated by the Taoiseach who is appointed next after the general election to Dáil Éireann.
Paudie Coffey is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as a Minister of State from 2014 to 2016. He served as a Senator from 2016 to 2020, after being nominated by the Taoiseach, and previously from 2007 to 2011 for the Industrial and Commercial Panel. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Waterford constituency from 2011 to 2016.
The 24th Seanad was in office from 2011 to 2016. An election to Seanad Éireann, the Senate of the Oireachtas, followed the 2011 general election to the 31st Dáil on 25 February. There are 60 seats in the Seanad: 43 were elected on five vocational panels by serving politicians, for which polling closed on 26 April; 6 were elected in two university constituencies, for which polling closed on 27 April; and 11 were nominated by the Taoiseach on 20 May 2011. The 24th Seanad first met at Leinster House on 25 May 2011. It remained in office until the close of poll for the 25th Seanad in April 2016.
Seán Kyne is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has been a Senator for the Cultural and Educational Panel since March 2020, and previously from February 2020 to March 2020, after being nominated by the Taoiseach. He served as a Minister of State from 2016 to 2020, including as Government Chief Whip from 2018 to 2020. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway West constituency from 2011 to 2020.
Alan Dillon is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Mayo constituency since the 2020 general election.
Lorraine Higgins is an Irish barrister, and a former Labour Party politician who represented the party in the 24th Seanad after being nominated by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny. From Galway, she is a graduate of NUI Galway and, later, the King's Inns. During her time there she was Labour Party Seanad spokesperson on Reform and Foreign Affairs.
Marie-Louise O'Donnell is an Irish academic, and later broadcaster and politician, who served as a Senator from 2011 to 2020, after being nominated by the Taoiseach. She played a key role in the arts at Dublin City University over a 23-year period, including in the launch of the Helix cultural centre.
Hildegarde Naughton is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of Health since December 2022, and as a Minister of State attending cabinet since June 2020. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway West constituency since 2016. She previously served as Chair of the Committee on Communications, Climate Action and the Environment from 2016 to 2020 and Mayor of Galway from 2011 to 2012. She also served as a Senator from 2013 to 2016, after being nominated by the Taoiseach.
The Thirty-second Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2013 was a proposal to amend the Constitution of Ireland to abolish Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Irish parliament, the Oireachtas. The proposal was rejected by the electorate in a referendum on 4 October 2013 by 51.7% voting against to 48.3% in favour.
The Independent Alliance was an Irish political grouping formed in March 2015 by independent politicians. It was founded by Shane Ross and Michael Fitzmaurice. It was not a political party and stated that that it would not impose any whip on elected members except if the group agreed to support a government on confidence motions. After the 2016 general election, its members became part of a minority government with Fine Gael and other non-aligned Independent ministers.
The 25th Seanad was in office from 2016 to 2020. An election to Seanad Éireann, the senate of the Oireachtas, followed the 2016 general election to the 32nd Dáil on 26 February. There are 60 seats in the Seanad: 43 were elected on five vocational panels by serving politicians, for which polling closed on 25 April; 6 were elected in two university constituencies, for which polling closed on 26 April; and 11 were nominated by the Taoiseach on 27 May 2016. It remained in office until the close of poll for the 26th Seanad in March 2020.
Pádraig Ó Céidigh is an Irish former independent politician and businessman who served as a Senator from 2016 to 2020, after being nominated by the Taoiseach. He is the former owner of Aer Arann and Aer Arann Islands.
The 2017 Fine Gael leadership election was triggered in May 2017, when Enda Kenny resigned as leader of Fine Gael. Voting began by members of Fine Gael and Young Fine Gael on 29 May 2017. On 2 June Leo Varadkar was announced as the victor, beating rival Simon Coveney. With Fine Gael being the governing party at the time, this election effectively selected a new Taoiseach for Ireland.
At most elections in the Republic of Ireland the electoral register is based on residential address, and the only non-resident voters are those serving abroad on government business; this includes Irish diplomats and their spouses, and Defence Forces and Garda Síochána personnel but not their spouses. An exception is in elections to the Seanad for which graduates voting in the university constituencies may be nonresident. A government bill introduced in 2019 proposed allowing non-resident citizens to vote in presidential elections.
