Eoghan Murphy

Born in Dublin, Murphy attended primary school at Star of the Sea Sandymount and secondary school at St Michael's College. He went on to study at University College Dublin (BA, English & Philosophy), and King's College London (MA, International Relations).{{cite web|title=Vote Murphy #1|url=http://www.eoghanmurphy.ie/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/eoghan-murphy-v2-1.pdf|publisher=Eoghan Murphy|access-date=21 May 2016|archive-date=24 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924073009/http://www.eoghanmurphy.ie/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/eoghan-murphy-v2-1.pdf|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=2 February 2016|title=Leaflet from Eoghan Murphy -Fine Gael -Dublin Bay South #ge16|url=https://irishelectionliterature.com/2016/02/02/leaflet-from-eoghan-murphy-fine-gael-dublin-bay-south-ge16/|access-date=6 September 2021|website=Irish Election Literature|language=en|archive-date=6 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906180138/https://irishelectionliterature.com/2016/02/02/leaflet-from-eoghan-murphy-fine-gael-dublin-bay-south-ge16/|url-status=live}} In 2013, he was awarded a Marshall Memorial Fellowship.{{Cite web |title=Marshall Memorial Fellowship |url=https://www.gmfus.org/marshall-memorial-fellowship}}

His father Henry is a retired senior counsel and author. His brothers Cillian (the actor known as Killian Scott) and Colin, a playwright and journalist, have forged successful careers in the arts.{{Cite web|title=Political unknown who topped poll is grandson of disgraced accountant Labour's Byrne wins council seat FF results 'disappointing', says Martin 'Whiff of decay and rotting greens' Ahern never expected to win seat Miriam's little brother beats Ryan's|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/political-unknown-who-topped-poll-is-grandson-of-disgraced-accountant-labours-byrne-wins-council-seat-ff-results-disappointing-says-martin-whiff-of-decay-and-rotting-greens-ahern-never-expected-to-win-seat-miriams-little-brother-beats-ryans-26541841.html|access-date=6 September 2021|website=independent|date=6 June 2009 |language=en|archive-date=6 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906172401/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/political-unknown-who-topped-poll-is-grandson-of-disgraced-accountant-labours-byrne-wins-council-seat-ff-results-disappointing-says-martin-whiff-of-decay-and-rotting-greens-ahern-never-expected-to-win-seat-miriams-little-brother-beats-ryans-26541841.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=Eoghan Murphy: Influential figure who was still deemed a 'rising prospect'|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/eoghan-murphy-influential-figure-who-was-still-deemed-a-rising-prospect-1.4549063?mode=amp|access-date=6 September 2021|website=www.irishtimes.com|archive-date=6 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906172401/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/eoghan-murphy-influential-figure-who-was-still-deemed-a-rising-prospect-1.4549063?mode=amp|url-status=live}}

In 2021, he revealed that an ex-girlfriend received verbal abuse during his term as a government minister.{{Cite web|last=Condon|first=Orlaith|date=27 April 2021|title='That's not on!' Eoghan Murphy talks 'horrific abuse' ex-girlfriend received while he was in office|url=https://evoke.ie/2021/04/27/news/irish-news/eoghan-murphy-ex-girlfriend|access-date=6 September 2021|website=evoke.ie|language=en-US|archive-date=6 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906172830/https://evoke.ie/2021/04/27/news/irish-news/eoghan-murphy-ex-girlfriend|url-status=live}}

Prior to entering politics, Murphy worked in international arms control, specifically in the area of nuclear weapons disarmament. He has worked for the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) in Geneva, Switzerland, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Dublin, and before his election to Dublin City Council, he was working as a speechwriter for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) in Vienna, Austria.{{cite web |title=Eoghan Murphy |url=http://www.finegael.ie/our-people/tds/eoghan-murphy/ |publisher=Fine Gael |access-date=21 May 2016 |archive-date=10 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610110339/http://www.finegael.ie/our-people/tds/eoghan-murphy/ |url-status=live }} In a 2015 Dáil debate on Irish neutrality, Murphy supported ending the triple lock requirement for Irish military deployment to have United Nations Security Council support, on the ground that it makes Ireland subject to Russia's veto power.{{cite web |title=Dáil Debate on Neutrality Bill |url=http://www.eoghanmurphy.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/D%C3%A1il-Debate-on-Neutrality-Bill.pdf |publisher=Eoghan Murphy TD |access-date=15 July 2015 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924001254/http://www.eoghanmurphy.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/D%C3%A1il-Debate-on-Neutrality-Bill.pdf |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2015-03-06/speech/55/|title=Thirty-fourth Amendment to the Constitution (Neutrality) Bill 2013: Second Stage [Private Members] – Dáil Éireann (31st Dáil) – Friday, 6 March 2015|access-date=21 May 2021|website=Houses of the Oireachtas|date=6 March 2015}}

Murphy stood in his first election in 2009 and topped the poll when he was elected to Dublin City Council at the 2009 local elections for the local electoral area of Pembroke–Rathmines.{{ElectionsIreland|id=9542|name=Eoghan Murphy|access-date=9 March 2011}} He was 27 at the time.

At the 2011 general election, he was elected to Dáil Éireann for the Dublin South-East constituency, vacating his seat on the council. In the 31st Dáil, he sat on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), then regarded as the foremost Oireachtas Committee due to its special powers, and subsequently served on the Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis, established to examine the causes of Ireland's property-driven banking collapse which resulted in a national bailout. When that inquiry almost collapsed Murphy, together with Senator Susan O'Keeffe, was asked by their colleagues to rescue the final report, which was published in January 2016.{{Cite web |date=January 2016 |title=Report of the Joint Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis |url=https://inquiries.oireachtas.ie/banking/}}

In his first term he also led the Oireachtas delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, serving as a short-term observer to the Russian presidential election in 2012, and as Special Co-Ordinator for the Bulgarian parliamentary elections in 2013.{{Cite web |title=Head of the OSCE PA's Irish Delegation Eoghan Murphy to lead election observers in Bulgaria |url=https://www.oscepa.org/en/news-a-media/press-releases/press-2013/head-of-the-osce-pa-s-irish-delegation-eoghan-murphy-to-lead-election-observers-in-bulgaria |access-date=15 November 2022|website=www.oscepa.org}}

In 2013, Murphy self-published "Reforming Dáil Eireann: A View from the Backbenches", a booklet containing a series of reforms which sought to strengthen the independence of parliament vis-a-vis government, implicitly criticising his own Party in government at the time: "But if the foundations of our democracy continue to be weak, whatever we build on them will be weaker.”{{Cite web |title=Reforming Dail Eireann: A view from the backbenches |url=https://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2013/04/emurphy-reformingdaila5booklet-print.pdf}}{{Cite web |date=18 April 2013 |title=Free vote for TDs among radical proposals for Dáil reform |url=https://www.thejournal.ie/party-whip-dail-reforms-eoghan-murphy-873769-Apr2013/}}

At the 2016 general election, Murphy topped the poll in the redrawn constituency of Dublin Bay South, winning the second seat.

When the 2016 election failed to give any one party an outright majority, Murphy was drafted in by Enda Kenny to represent Fine Gael as a part of a small team heavily involved in talks with other parties and independents on the formation of a minority government.{{Cite web |title=Sounding out Murph but what about Paschal |date=2 September 2018 |url=https://m.independent.ie/life/sounding-out-murph-but-what-about-paschal/37268600.html}} He was subsequently appointed by Taoiseach Enda Kenny to the minority Fine Gael–Independent government as Minister of State at the Department of Finance and at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with responsibility for Financial Services, eGovernment and Public Procurement.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2016-05-19/24/|title=Appointment of Ministers of State – Dáil Éireann (32nd Dáil) – Thursday, 19 May 2016|access-date=21 May 2021|website=Houses of the Oireachtas|date=19 May 2016|archive-date=24 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201224140917/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2016-05-19/24/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Collins|first=Stephen|title=Taoiseach appoints 16 Fine Gael TDs as junior ministers|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/taoiseach-appoints-16-fine-gael-tds-as-junior-ministers-1.2654112 |access-date=20 May 2016|newspaper=The Irish Times|issn=0791-5144|location=Dublin|language=en-ie|date=19 May 2016|archive-date=21 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160521141157/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/taoiseach-appoints-16-fine-gael-tds-as-junior-ministers-1.2654112|url-status=live }}

When Enda Kenny announced his resignation as President of Fine Gael and Taoiseach in early 2017, Leo Varadkar appointed Murphy to run his parliamentary party campaign. Murphy was instrumental in orchestrating Varadkar's successful election as President of Fine Gael and subsequently as Taoiseach.{{Cite web |title=Team Varadkar delivers a masterclass in professional political campaigning |date=28 May 2017 |url=https://www.independent.ie/opinion/team-varadkar-delivers-a-masterclass-in-professional-political-campaigning/35763259.html}}{{Cite news |title=The inside story of how Varadkar beat Coveney |newspaper=The Irish Times |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/campaign-for-leo-the-inside-story-of-how-varadkar-beat-simon-coveney-1.3106066}}

Following Leo Varadkar's appointment as Taoiseach, Murphy was promoted to the cabinet, as Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government in June 2017. On 25 September 2018, Murphy survived a motion of no confidence which had been tabled by Sinn Féin. The motion was defeated by 59 to 49 votes.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/vote/dail/32/2018-09-25/117/|title=Confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government: Motion [Private Members]|website=Houses of the Oireachtas|date=25 September 2018|access-date=3 December 2019|archive-date=3 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203113833/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/vote/dail/32/2018-09-25/117/|url-status=live}} In December 2019, another motion of no confidence was tabled against Murphy, this time by the Social Democrats. The motion was defeated by 59 votes to 56.{{cite news |author= |title=Govt survives motion of no-confidence in Murphy |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2019/1203/1096620-no-confidence/ |publisher=RTÉ News |date=4 December 2019 |access-date=4 December 2019 |archive-date=4 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204015720/https://www.rte.ie/news/2019/1203/1096620-no-confidence/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.thejournal.ie/eoghan-murphy-confidence-motion-4917093-Dec2019/#comments |title=Eoghan Murphy saved and Christmas election off the table as no confidence motion defeated |date=3 December 2019 |work=Journal |access-date=4 December 2019 |archive-date=4 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204154343/https://www.thejournal.ie/eoghan-murphy-confidence-motion-4917093-Dec2019/#comments |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/vote/dail/32/2019-12-03/152/ |title=Confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] |website=Houses of the Oireachtas |date=3 December 2019 |access-date=4 December 2019 |archive-date=4 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204113109/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/vote/dail/32/2019-12-03/152/ |url-status=live }}

In the 2020 general election he was elected to the third seat in Dublin Bay South.{{cite web |title=General Election 2020: Eoghan Murphy retains seat despite failing to reach quota in Dublin Bay South |url=https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/general-election-2020-eoghan-murphy-17722263 |website=www.dublinlive.ie |date=10 February 2020 |access-date=27 April 2020 |archive-date=11 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311062222/https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/general-election-2020-eoghan-murphy-17722263 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Cullen |first=Paul |title=Dublin Bay South results: Andrews says tent incident influenced voters |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/dublin-bay-south-results-andrews-says-tent-incident-influenced-voters-1.4165174 |url-status=live |newspaper=The Irish Times |location=Dublin |date=10 February 2020 |access-date=5 June 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210605101555/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/dublin-bay-south-results-andrews-says-tent-incident-influenced-voters-1.4165174 |archive-date=5 June 2021 }} After the election he continued to serve as minister during the first phase of the Covid pandemic. At the formation of a new government on 27 June 2020 he announced that he was stepping back from ministerial politics to focus on reform of his party.{{Cite web |last=McConnell |first=Daniel |date=26 June 2020|title=Eoghan Murphy will not take up ministerial role in next government |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-31007757.html |access-date=5 November 2022|website=Irish Examiner |language=en}} He resigned his seat in the Dáil in April 2021.

File:ODIHR short-term observers’ briefings in Baku, 4 February 2024.png

On 27 April 2021, Murphy resigned his seat in Dáil Éireann, and announced that he would return to working in international affairs.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2021-04-28/4/|title=Resignation of Member – Dáil Éireann (33rd Dáil) – Wednesday, 28 April 2021|access-date=21 May 2021|website=Houses of the Oireachtas|date=28 April 2021|archive-date=21 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521081751/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2021-04-28/4/|url-status=live}} That same year he began working with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), consulting for the election monitoring arm of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

In May 2021, Murphy was appointed as Head of Mission to the election observation mission to the early parliamentary elections in Armenia.{{cite news |last=O'Connell |first=Hugh |title=Former housing minister Eoghan Murphy has resurfaced in Armenia |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/former-housing-minister-eoghan-murphy-has-resurfaced-in-armenia-40445827.html |access-date=20 May 2021 |newspaper=Irish Independent |location=Dublin |issn=0021-1222 |language=en |date=19 May 2021 |archive-date=19 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519232053/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/former-housing-minister-eoghan-murphy-has-resurfaced-in-armenia-40445827.html |url-status=live }} In September 2021, Murphy was appointed as Head of Mission to the election observation mission to the [https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/uzbekistan/493351 presidential election in Uzbekistan].{{Cite web |title=Presidential election, 24 October 2021 |url=https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/uzbekistan/493351}}

Murphy returned to Armenia and Uzbekistan in 2022 to follow up on recommendations his team had made to further enhance the conduct of elections in both countries and to support efforts to bring them fully in line with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections.{{Cite web |title=Alen Simonyan received the representatives of the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission delegation |url=http://www.parliament.am/news.php?cat_id=2&NewsID=16568&year=2022&month=4&day=27}}{{Cite web |title=Acting FM received a delegation of OSCE/ODIHR |url=https://www.uzdaily.uz/en/post/73656}}

In recent years, Murphy has led election observation activities on behalf of the OSCE's ODIHR in Italy (parliamentary elections, September 2022),{{Cite web |title=Italy 2022 early parliamentary elections: ODIHR election assessment mission final report |url=https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/italy/536088}} Kazakhstan (early parliamentary elections, March 2023),{{Cite web |title=ODIHR Starts Observation Mission in Kazakhstan ahead of Parliamentary Election |url=https://astanatimes.com/2023/02/odihr-starts-observation-mission-in-kazakhstan-ahead-of-parliamentary-election/}} and Azerbaijan (early presidential election, February 2024).{{Cite web |title=Early Presidential Elections, Azerbaijan 2024 |url=https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/azerbaijan/561302}} In September of this year he was appointed as Head of Mission to the parliamentary elections in Georgia, to be held on 26 October.{{Cite web |title=Parliamentary elections, 26 October 2024 |url=https://www.osce.org/odihr/571813}}

In August 2024, Murphy announced that he had written a book about his time in politics, entitled Running From Office.{{Cite web |work=The Journal|title=Remember Eoghan Murphy? He's back with a new memoir|url=https://www.thejournal.ie/housing-minister-eoghan-murphy-memoir-6464338-Aug2024/|date=15 August 2024}}

Speaking in 2024, Murphy described himself as ideologically as a "Liberal" or "Libertarian", both socially and economically. Murphy stated that he was inspired to become involved in politics after learning that the Progressive Democrats were able to achieve an influence in Irish politics far greater than their number of elected representatives would have suggested. Murphy also stated that Nick Clegg and the British Liberal Democrats were another source of inspiration early in his career.{{cite podcast |url=https://open.spotify.com/episode/6p2wZtKr0KPQNWkW9ftUmm?si=JfjsjncNSZGg7Anpc31pQQ |title=Eoghan Murphy reflects on political failure |website=Inside Politics |publisher= |host=Hugh Linehan |date=18 December 2024 |time= |access-date=19 December 2024}}

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{{s-bef|before = Simon Harris}}

{{s-ttl|title = Minister of State for Financial Services, eGovernment and Public Procurement

|years = 2016–2017}}

{{s-aft|after = Patrick O'Donovan}}

{{s-bef|before = Simon Coveney|as=Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government}}

{{s-ttl|title = Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government

|years = 2017–2020}}

{{s-aft|after = Darragh O'Brien|as=Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage}}

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{{Dublin South-East (Dáil constituency)/TDs}}

{{Dublin Bay South (Dáil constituency)/TDs}}

{{31st Government of Ireland}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Eoghan}}

Category:1982 births

Category:Living people

Category:Alumni of University College Dublin

Category:Alumni of King's College London

Category:Fine Gael TDs

Category:Members of Dublin City Council

Category:Members of the 31st Dáil

Category:Members of the 32nd Dáil

Category:Members of the 33rd Dáil

Category:Ministers of state of the 32nd Dáil

Category:People educated at St Michael's College, Dublin

Category:Fine Gael local councillors

Category:Housing ministers of Ireland