EUROPEAN ELECTION CANDIDATES

Labour - Ivana Bacik
Ivana Bacik is 35 years old and lives in Dublin’s Liberties area. She is well known as a human rights activist and campaigner. She stood for election to the Seanad as an independent in 1997 and 2002 on the Dublin University Panel. She first joined the Labour Party at age 18 and is currently Vice-Chair of the Michael Kearney Branch in Dublin South-East. In 1989-90, Ivana was elected President of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union. She teaches law at Trinity College and works as a barrister in Dublin. Ivana has campaigned with organisations such as Amnesty, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and the Irish Family Planning Association. On an international level Ivana has worked with the Council of Europe to develop a criminal code for Kosovo. Ivana is campaigning for a “thriving, tolerant Dublin for all of its citizens”.

Fianna Fáil - Cllr Royston Brady (Lord Mayor)
Royston Brady is a member of Dublin City Council and is also the current Lord Mayor. Royston has been a member of the Fianna Fáil party for a number of years, starting as a member of Ogra FF at the age of 11. He was selected as a candidate in November 1998 for local elections and went on to become the youngest member of Dublin City Council at the age of 26. Royston is running as a Fianna Fáil candidate for the European Parliament (MEP) representing Dublin He hopes to represent Dublin in Europe, to “emulate our past success and to speak out strongly on every issue of concern to Dubliners.”

Labour - Proinsias De Rossa MEP
Proinsias De Rossa is the Labour MEP in the European Parliament and is Vice-President of the 175- member European Socialist Group. He was a Minister in the 1994-1997 Rainbow Government and a political campaigner. This experience was brought to bear in his role as one of the Irish representatives in the European Convention which prepared the draft European Constitution. He has consistently given priority to eliminating poverty, strengthening social policy, improving the environment, defending jobs and opposing war. He hopes to continue his work “to make Dublin a great city in which to work and live and for a better Europe in the future.”

Socialist Party - Joe Higgins TD
Joe Higgins is the Socialist Party TD for Dublin West and will be their candidate in the upcoming European elections on June 11th for the Dublin constituency. Joe Higgins, born in May 1949 is the Socialist Party’s sole TD. As a socialist, he accepts less than half his Dáil salary and donates the rest to his party and other socialist causes. He also refuses to socialise in the Dáil bar. He spent a month in jail last autumn for fighting the bin tax. Originally from the Kerry Gaeltacht, he was politicised as a seminarian in America by the Anti-Vietnam war demonstrations and the race riots that he witnessed in the 1960s. After abandoning his training for the priesthood he returned to Ireland, where he put himself through UCD. He joined the Labour Party at UCD and aligned himself with the so-called “Militant Tendency” within the party, which opposed coalition. He left the party after the expulsion of militant members at the 1989 Party Conference in Tralee. The expelled members became Militant Labour, before reforming as The Socialist Party in 1997. He was elected to Dublin County Council in 1991 and is now a member of Fingal County Council.

Sinn Féin - Mary Lou McDonald
Mary Lou McDonald is a member of the Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle and is the party’s candidate for Dublin in this year’s European elections. She hopes to secure the first seat for Sinn Féin in the European Parliament. She was Educated in Trinity College, Dublin, the University of Limerick and Dublin City University. Mary Lou has studied English Literature, European Integration Studies and Human Resource Management.

She is the Sinn Féin representative for Dublin West and is keenly involved in many local community groups. She is a member of the Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle and the party representative to the National Forum on Europe. She currently works for the party in co-ordinating the work of Sinn Féin elected representatives across the island. Mary-Lou is married and has a baby daughter.

Green Party - Patricia McKenna MEP
Patricia McKenna was elected to the European Parliament in 1994. She stood as the Green Party candidate and topped the poll in Dublin, getting 14.5% of the votes. She was re-elected in the European elections in June 1999. She is well-known for her opposition to the nuclear industry, her campaigns on the Nice, Maastricht and Amsterdam Treaties, her protests against US-led military aggression in various parts of the world, and her efforts to have genetically modified organisms banned.

As an MEP, Patricia divides her time between the Parliament Offices in Dublin, Brussels and Strasbourg. Patricia is a full member of two standing Committees: the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection Committee and the Fisheries Committee. She is a substitute member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Common Security and Defence Policy and is a member of the Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Member States of ASEAN, South-East Asia and the Republic of Korea and Vice President of the Peace Initiatives Intergroup.

Fine Gael - Gay Mitchell TD
Gay Mitchell is the Fine Gael candidate for the Dublin constituency in the European Elections. He is a member of the Dáil and was first elected in 1981. He is currently opposition spokesperson for Foreign Affairs. Gay was Fine Gael’s National Campaign Director in 1987 for the Single European Act Referendum, in 1992 for the Maastricht Treaty Referendum, and in 1998 for the Amsterdam Treaty Referendum.

He has served as a member of Dublin City Council, City of Dublin VEC, and Chairman Rathmines College of Commerce. He is a former member of the board of Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin and was Lord Mayor of Dublin from 1992 to 1993.

Fianna Fáil - Eoin Ryan TD
Eoin Ryan was born in Dublin and lives in Sandymount with his wife and three children. The 51 year old was educated in St. Mary’s College, Rathmines, The Dublin College of Commerce and Rathmines and Kildalton Horticulture College, Co. Kilkenny. He is a Full-time Public Representative and was first elected to Dáil Eireann in 1992. He was Minister of State at the Department of Local Government with responsibility for National Drug Strategy 1999 - 2002, a Member of Seanad Éireann 1989 - 1992 and a member of Dublin City Council since 1985. As a local TD he continues to make a significant contribution to the News 4 area. He recently called for Ireland to take a lead in driving reform within the European Union, to enhance European competitiveness and to restore the credibility of the Union among the people of Europe. “Ireland can be a force for reform within the Union. The ten new members regard us as a role model and the challenges they now face were challenges we successfully overcame in the 1980s. We can be sure they will support us in the drive for economic reform within the EU,” he said.

European Election Candidates Update

Comhar Criostai/The Christian Solidarity Party– Barry Despard
Barry Despard, 7A Lanesborough Gardens, Dublin 11. Counsellor

Non-Party -
Paul Doonan
Paul Doonan, Boothill, Durrus, Cork, Company Director.
Paul Doonan is running in the election to highlight what he sees as the government arrogance and incompetence in its handling of many issues including the smoking ban, GM Food, E Voting, toxic incinerators, road tolling and health waiting lists.

Tom Prendeville
Tom Prendeville, 52 Goldsmith Street, Phibsboro, Dublin 7, News Reporter

Brendan Price
Brendan Price, Tobergregan, Garristown, Fingal, Co Dublin. Independent Biologist, Wildlife Rehabilitator. He has been a candidate in the last four Seanad elections for The National University of Ireland.