Niamh Cosgrave

Last updated

Niamh Cosgrave
Senator
In office
13 June 10 July 1997

Niamh Cosgrave (born 9 October 1964) [1] is a former Fine Gael politician from Dublin, Ireland. She campaigned for victims of the Hepatitis C blood contamination scandal, and was the subject of a book on this. She was briefly a member of the second house of the Irish parliament, and, for several years, of Dublin City Council, which, in a very rare move, removed her for non-attendance. She later moved to France, where she survived a serious attack; she was subsequently the subject of a TV documentary.

Contents

Early life

Cosgrave is the daughter of former Fine Gael Teachta Dála (TD) Michael Joe Cosgrave. [2]

Anti-D

After she witnessed an RTÉ news report about contaminated blood, relating to anti-D, which concerned women that had received the product in 1977, Cosgrave recognised the symptoms, having received anti-D during the birth of her second child. She immediately presented for testing and tested positive for hepatitis C. She then began a campaign to have women that received the product in 1991 recognised. This was finally accepted by the Blood Transfusion Service Board and women infected in 1991 were acknowledged as recipients and received treatment and compensation.

Cosgrave was the first woman to go public about the failings of the BTSB, allowed herself to be photographed by The Irish Times , and contributed to the writing of a book Hep C, Niamh’s Story by Fergal Bowers. [3] Cosgrave gave interviews and appeared on The Late Late Show in support of her representation of victims. Cosgrave was also one of the first victims to undergo experimental treatment with interferon and, despite advice to the contrary, went on to have two more, healthy, children.

Political career

She was very briefly a member of Seanad Éireann - [1] after standing unsuccessfully in the Dublin North-Central constituency at the 1997 general election, [4] she was one of eight new senators nominated by the Taoiseach, John Bruton, to the 20th Seanad on 13 June 1997 to replace senators who had been elected to the 28th Dáil. [5] After her nomination, the Seanad met only once (on 10 July 1997) before it was dissolved. In the 1997 Seanad elections, Cosgrave stood for election on the Labour Panel, but failed to win a seat. [4]

At the 1999 local elections, Cosgrave was elected to Dublin City Council as a councillor for the Donaghmede electoral ward, which included Donaghmede and Raheny. As of 2003, she was secretary of the Fine Gael group on the council. [6] She was re-elected in the 2004 local elections, but in July 2005, the Fine Gael party withdrew the party whip from her after she absented herself when Dublin councillors were electing the next Lord Mayor of Dublin, a role for which she had sought the party nomination herself. [2] In 2006, sitting as an Independent councillor, she voted against Paddy Bourke, the Fine Gael–supported Labour Party candidate for Lord Mayor. This produced a tied vote - between Bourke and the Independent councillor Vincent Jackson - which was resolved in Jackson's favour by drawing names from a hat. [7]

In June 2006, it was revealed that Cosgrave had the worst attendance record of any city councillor, with presence at just 17 out of 33 meetings over the preceding two years. [8] In September 2007, she was deemed to have resigned her membership of the council for non-attendance, and expelled, having attended no meetings for six months; [9] she was replaced by a co-opted fellow Fine Gael member, Pat Crimmins, who later won election. [10]

Personal life

Around the time of her removal from Dublin City Council, Cosgrave, who had been living in Raheny, [11] was reported to have moved to France. [12] It was later confirmed that she was living in a small French village, where she was later the victim of a violent rape; the attacker, a local, was later sentenced to 18 years for the attack. [13] The judge in the case praised her courage. She later took part in a documentary called Unbreakable aired by TV3. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Mulcahy</span> Irish politician and army general (1886–1971)

Richard James Mulcahy was an Irish Fine Gael politician and army general who served as Minister for Education from 1948 to 1951 and 1954 to 1957, Minister for the Gaeltacht from June 1956 to October 1956, Leader of the Opposition from 1944 to 1948, Leader of Fine Gael from 1944 to 1959, Minister for Local Government and Public Health from 1927 to 1932 and Minister for Defence from January to April 1919 and 1922 to 1924. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1918 to 1938 and from 1943 to 1961 and a Senator from March 1938 to June 1938 and 1943 to 1944. He served in the cabinets of W. T. Cosgrave and John A. Costello.

In Ireland, direct elections by universal suffrage are used for the President, the ceremonial head of state; for Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas or parliament; for the European Parliament; and for local government. All elections use proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV) in constituencies returning three or more members, except that the presidential election and by-elections use the single-winner analogue of STV, elsewhere called instant-runoff voting or the alternative vote. Members of Seanad Éireann, the second house of the Oireachtas, are partly nominated, partly indirectly elected, and partly elected by graduates of particular universities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niamh Bhreathnach</span> Irish Labour Party politician (1945–2023)

Niamh Síle Bhreathnach was an Irish Labour Party politician who served as Minister for Education from 1993 to 1994 and 1994 to 1997.

Liam Thomas Cosgrave is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Leas-Chathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann from 1997 to 2002, Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann from 1996 to 1997 and a Senator for the Industrial and Commercial Panel from 1993 to 2002. He previously served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency from 1981 to 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deirdre Clune</span> Irish Fine Gael politician (born 1959)

Deirdre Clune is an Irish politician who is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the South constituency. She is a member of Fine Gael, part of the European People's Party.

Michael Joseph Cosgrave was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1977 to 1992 and 1997 to 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donaghmede</span> Residential suburb of Dublin, Ireland

Donaghmede is a mixed socio-economic residential suburb on the northern side of Dublin, Ireland, formed from parts of Baldoyle, Coolock and Raheny in the 1970s. It contains a mid-size shopping centre and a ruined chapel, and lies within the jurisdiction of Dublin City Council.

Madeleine Taylor-Quinn is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as a Senator for the Cultural and Educational Panel from 1981 to 1982 and 1992 to 2002 and a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Clare constituency from 1981 to 1982 and 1982 to 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Westropp Bennett</span> Irish politician

Thomas William Westropp Bennett was an Irish politician, magistrate and public figure in Irish agriculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terence Flanagan</span> Irish Fine Gael politician (b. 1975)

Terence Flanagan is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as a Dublin City Councillor since May 2019. He previously served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin North-East constituency from 2007 to 2016.

Patrick Kennedy was a barrister and Fine Gael politician from Limerick city in Ireland.

Therese Ridge is an Irish politician from Clondalkin, County Dublin. Formerly a member of Fine Gael, she was an Independent member of South Dublin County Council from 2012 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Bailey (Irish politician)</span> Irish Fine Gael politician (1945–2019)

John Bailey was an Irish Fine Gael politician who was a member of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council. He spent 10 years as chairman of the Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hildegarde Naughton</span> Irish Fine Gael politician (b. 1977)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Dublin City Council election</span> Part of the 2014 Irish local elections

A Dublin City Council election was held in Ireland on 23 May 2014 as part of that year's local elections. Sixty-three councillors were elected for a five-year term of office from nine local electoral areas by proportional representation with a single transferable vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate O'Connell</span> Irish former Fine Gael politician (b. 1980)

Kate O'Connell is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Bay South constituency from 2016 to 2020. During her time in the Dáil, O'Connell campaigned in favour of abortion rights as well as pushing for more funding for healthcare services in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Dublin City Council election</span> Part of the 2019 Irish local elections

An election to Dublin City Council took place on 24 May 2019 as part of the Irish local elections. 63 councillors were elected from 11 local electoral areas (LEAs) on the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV) for a five-year term of office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paddy Bourke (politician)</span> Irish politician

Patrick Bourke is an Irish Independent politician.

Independent Left is a minor unregistered Irish political party with a socialist and environmentalist outlook. It was founded in January 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebecca Moynihan</span> Irish Labour Party politician

Rebecca Moynihan is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been a Senator for the Administrative Panel since April 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 "Niamh Cosgrave". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
  2. 1 2 "Mayor, councillor lose Fine Gael party whip". The Irish Times. 15 July 2005. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
  3. Hep C Niamh's Story. Marino Books. 1997. ISBN   1860230539.
  4. 1 2 "Niamh Cosgrave". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
  5. "Seanad Éireann debates, Volume 151, 10 July 1997: Nomination of Members". Oireachtas. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
  6. Kelly, Olivia (15 January 2003). "Abolition crisis over bin charge looms at council". Irish Times. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  7. Louise Healy and Tom Gilmore (27 June 2006). "Name of capital's new mayor pulled from a hat after tied vote". The Irish Independent. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
  8. "FF council members are worst attenders". The Irish Independent. 2 June 2006. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
  9. "Council expels absent Cosgrave". Irish Times. 28 September 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  10. "Monthly Meeting of Council, 05/11/2007" (PDF). Dublin City Council. 5 November 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2008.[ dead link ]
  11. "Anti Bin Tax Demo, City Hall, Dame Street, Monday, 6.30 pm - Indymedia Ireland". www.indymedia.ie. 3 October 2003. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  12. "Council expels absent Cosgrave". The Irish Times. 28 September 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
  13. Ryan, Nicky (2 March 2015). "I knew if I went back into that bedroom, I might not come out of it alive". Journal.ie. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  14. "Unbreakable: True Lives review". Irish Independent. 21 September 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2021.