Gino Kenny

{{Short description|Irish politician (born 1972)}}

{{Use Hiberno-English|date=October 2024}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-suffix =

| image = Gino Kenny.jpg

| caption = Kenny in 2016

| office = Teachta Dála

| term_start = February 2016

| term_end = November 2024

| constituency = Dublin Mid-West

| birth_name = Eugene Kenny{{cite web |last1=O'Connell |first1=Hugh |title=Meet the working class TD named Gino who'll get the bus to Leinster House today |url=https://www.thejournal.ie/who-is-gino-kenny-2649228-Mar2016/ |website=The Journal |date=10 March 2016 |access-date=26 December 2020 |archive-date=1 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201003418/https://www.thejournal.ie/who-is-gino-kenny-2649228-Mar2016/ |url-status=live }}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1972|6|25|df=y}}

| birth_place = Clondalkin, Dublin, Ireland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = People Before Profit–Solidarity

| spouse =

| children =

| alma_mater =

| website = |

}}

Eugene "Gino" Kenny (born 25 June 1972) is an Irish People Before Profit–Solidarity politician who was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Mid-West constituency from 2016 to 2024.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Gino-Kenny.D.2016-10-03/|title=Gino Kenny|work=Oireachtas Members Database|access-date=13 July 2019|archive-date=13 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713220413/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Gino-Kenny.D.2016-10-03/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/election-2016/candidates/754423-gino-kenny/|title=Election 2016: Gino Kenny|work=RTÉ News|date=17 December 2015 |access-date=28 February 2016|archive-date=27 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527111021/https://www.rte.ie/news/election-2016/candidates/754423-gino-kenny/|url-status=live}}{{Cite journal |date=2024-12-01 |title=Dublin Mid-West - your updates |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/post/104574311/ |language=en|journal=RTÉ News}}

He moved to Neilstown in 1979, where he lives with his partner.{{cite news|first=Kitty|last=Holland|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/profile-gino-kenny-aaa-pbp-1.2552402|title=Profile: Gino Kenny (AAA–PBP) Dublin Mid-West: Fourth TD elected of four|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=28 February 2016|access-date=28 February 2016|archive-date=4 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704194556/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/profile-gino-kenny-aaa-pbp-1.2552402|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Holland|first=Kitty|title=Election 2020: Gino Kenny (People Before Profit)|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/election-2020-gino-kenny-people-before-profit-1.4168694|access-date=1 November 2021|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}} Before entering politics he worked as a carer for the elderly in several hospitals having acquired a Masters' in public health studies. He was a member of South Dublin County Council from 2009 until 2016, representing People Before Profit. He was elected to Dáil Éireann on his third attempt in February 2016.{{cite web|url=http://www.electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=5083|title=Gino Kenny|work=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=13 July 2019|archive-date=3 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803232015/https://www.electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=5083|url-status=live}} He had previously contested the general elections of 2007 and 2011, finishing ahead of sitting TD Paul Gogarty in the latter.

After being elected to the Dáil in 2016, he put forward a Private Member's Bill to legalise the medicinal use of cannabis.{{cite news|first=Colin|last=Gleeson|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/gino-kenny-smokes-cannabis-and-has-tried-other-drugs-1.2906596|title=People Before Profit TD behind medicinal cannabis Bill calls Donald Trump 'a maniac'|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=15 December 2016|access-date=15 December 2016|archive-date=24 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424002431/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/gino-kenny-smokes-cannabis-and-has-tried-other-drugs-1.2906596|url-status=live}} After this bill was rejected when an Oireachtas Committee described it as having "too many flaws", he called the Dáil a "kip."{{cite news|last1=McEnroe|first1=Juno|title=Gino Kenny stands over Dáil 'kip' remark|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/gino-kenny-stands-over-dail-kip-remark-456493.html|access-date=7 April 2018|work=Irish Examiner|archive-date=23 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323154734/https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/gino-kenny-stands-over-dail-kip-remark-456493.html|url-status=live}}

In May 2018 he accused Minister of State for Defence Paul Kehoe of having "blood on his hands" after the government purchased 4 unmanned aerial vehicles from an Israeli manufacturer. Kenny suggested it was immoral for the Irish state to purchase military equipment from Israel because of questions over its civil rights record. Kehoe responded by saying the purchased UAVs had no offensive capacity and that the manufacturer had won the bid on the contract, and said that bids were open to any company not sanctioned or barred by the EU, UN or OSCE.{{cite news |last=O'Halloran |first=Marie |date=10 May 2018 |title=Minister rejects claim he has 'blood on hands' over Israeli drone procurement |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/minister-rejects-claim-he-has-blood-on-hands-over-israeli-drone-procurement-1.3491141 |work=Irish Times |access-date=30 December 2020 |archive-date=8 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608085104/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/minister-rejects-claim-he-has-blood-on-hands-over-israeli-drone-procurement-1.3491141 |url-status=live }}

After looking set to lose his seat at the 2020 general election and having conceded prematurely, Kenny retained it by unseating John Curran of Fianna Fáil, in what RTÉ described as his "resurrection" and "one of the stories of this election".{{cite news|last1=McMorrow|first1=Conor|title='A day is a long time in politics'|url=https://www.rte.ie/news/election-2020/2020/0210/1114405-long-day-in-politics/|access-date=10 February 2020|work=RTÉ News|archive-date=10 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200210185948/https://www.rte.ie/news/election-2020/2020/0210/1114405-long-day-in-politics/|url-status=live}}

In October 2020, Kenny sponsored a "Dying with Dignity" bill in the Dáil that proposed legalising assisted suicide in Ireland, an area he has been campaigning on for some time. It passed 81 votes to 71 following the government allowing a free vote on the matter. Following the vote, the Bill has moved to the committee stage.{{cite news |url=https://www.newstalk.com/news/gino-kenny-hopeful-dying-dignity-bill-will-passed-next-year-1087491 |title=Right to die bill: TD hopeful of 'possible referendum' next year |last=Quann |first=Jack |date=8 October 2020 |work=Newstalk |access-date=30 December 2020 |archive-date=25 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125185349/https://www.newstalk.com/news/gino-kenny-hopeful-dying-dignity-bill-will-passed-next-year-1087491 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Hosford |first=Paul |date=7 October 2020 |title=Dying with Dignity bill moves to next stage after being passed in Dáil |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40061270.html |work=Irish Examiner |access-date=30 December 2020 |archive-date=10 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010165459/https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40061270.html |url-status=live }}

In November 2022, Kenny introduced a bill in the Dáil that would legalise cannabis for personal use and possession of up to seven grams of cannabis.{{Cite web |last=Barry |first=Aoife |title=Bill to be introduced that would legalise personal use of cannabis |url=https://www.thejournal.ie/legislation-personal-use-of-cannabis-ireland-5917349-Nov2022/ |access-date=27 November 2022|website=TheJournal.ie |date=12 November 2022 |language=en}}

Kenny lost his seat at the 2024 general election.