John McGahon
{{Short description|Irish politician (born 1990)}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=September 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Senator John McGahon.png
| caption =
| office = Senator
| term_start = 29 June 2020
| term_end = 30 January 2025
| constituency = Cultural and Educational Panel
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1990|11|20|df=y}}
| birth_place = Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Fine Gael
| spouse =
| children =
| relatives = Brendan McGahon (uncle)
| education = Dundalk Grammar School
| alma_mater = University College Dublin
| website =
}}
John McGahon (born 20 November 1990) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as a senator for the Cultural and Educational Panel from 2020 until 2025.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/John-McGahon.S.2020-03-30/|title=John McGahon|work=Oireachtas Members Database|access-date=19 April 2020}}
Early life and career
McGahon is from Dundalk, County Louth, and attended Dundalk Grammar School. He obtained a BA in history and politics from University College Dublin.{{cite web |title=Fitzer on solo run as McGahon steps in |work= The Dundalk Leader |url=http://www.dundalkleader.com/2018/10/03/fitzer-on-solo-run-as-mcgahon-steps-in/ |date=3 October 2018 |access-date=31 March 2020}} His father, Johnny McGahon, was a member of Dundalk town council from 1994 to 2004.{{cite web |title=Johnny McGahon |url=https://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=647 |website=Elections Ireland |access-date=31 March 2020}} His uncle Brendan McGahon was a TD for Louth from 1982 to 2002.{{cite web |title=Brendan McGahon |url=https://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=3381 |website=ElectionsIreland.org |access-date=31 March 2020}}
Louth County Council
John McGahon was first elected to Louth County Council for the Dundalk–Carlingford local electoral area in 2014, retaining his seat in 2019.{{cite web |title=John McGahon |url=https://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=10828 |website=Elections Ireland |access-date=31 March 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.finegael.ie/our-people/councillors/louth/dundalk-carlingford/john-mcgahon/|title=John McGahon|publisher=Fine Gael|access-date=31 March 2020}} He was elected as chairperson of the Dundalk Municipal District on two separate occasions, 2017–2018 and 2019–2020.{{cite web |title=McGahon elected chair of Municipal District|url=http://www.dundalkleader.com/2017/06/08/mcgahon-elected-chair-of-municipal-district/| work=The Dundalk Leader |date= 8 June 2017 |access-date=12 January 2022}}
- {{cite web |title=McGahon takes Dundalk Municipal District chair |url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/argus/news/mcgahon-takes-dundalk-municipal-district-chair-38226920.html | work=The Argus |date=22 June 2019 |access-date=12 January 2022}}
General elections
He stood unsuccessfully for the Louth constituency at the 2020 general election, and was also unsuccessful at the 2024 general election.
Seanad Éireann
On 31 March 2020, McGahon was elected to Senate following the 2020 election to the upper house.{{cite web |title=Seanad general election 2020 |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/elections/seanad-general-election-2020/#panels |website=oireachtas.ie |publisher=Oireachtas |access-date=31 March 2020 |archive-date=12 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212211240/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/elections/seanad-general-election-2020/#panels |url-status=dead }}
- {{cite news|url=https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2020/0331/1127448-seanad-election/|title=First members elected to the 26th Seanad|work=RTÉ News|date=31 March 2020}} In June 2020, he was appointed as the Fine Gael Seanad spokesperson on Environment, Climate and Communications; and is on the joint Oireachtas committee on climate action, and the committee on the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.
He did not contest the 2025 Seanad election.{{cite web|url=https://www.dundalkdemocrat.ie/news/general-election/1670424/ge-2024-john-mcgahon-to-step-back-from-politics-in-louth.html|title=GE 2024: John McGahon to step back from politics in Louth|work=Dundalk Democrat|date=1 December 2024|access-date=7 January 2025}}
Assault allegations
While awaiting trial for an alleged assault in his home town of Dundalk, dating to June 2018,{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/district-court/case-against-fine-gael-county-councillor-further-adjourned-1.3915832|title=Case against Fine Gael county councillor further adjourned|first=Elaine|last=Keogh|newspaper=The Irish Times}} McGahon was asked by Fine Gael not to stand in the 2020 general election but ran anyway. In an interview with LMFM in October 2018, he admitted that he had been involved in a fight and that he had a long-standing problem with alcohol.{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/argus/news/mcgahon-asked-not-to-run-in-general-election-by-fine-gael-37494001.html|title=McGahon 'asked not to run in general election by Fine Gael'|website=The Irish Independent|date=10 November 2018 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.businesspost.ie/news-focus/fg-general-election-candidate-mcgahon-under-investigation-over-alleged-assault-e9a98202|title=FG general election candidate McGahon under investigation over alleged assault|website=Business Post}}
On 24 May 2022, McGahon went on trial, accused of assault.{{Cite web |last=Feehan |first=Conor |date=24 May 2022 |title=Fine Gael Senator John McGahon goes on trial accused of assault causing harm |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/fine-gael-senator-john-mcgahon-goes-on-trial-accused-of-assault-causing-harm-41683356.html |access-date=25 May 2022|website=The Irish Independent }} On 27 May 2022, he was found not guilty {{Cite web|url=https://www.thejournal.ie/senator-john-mcgahon-5775635-May2022/|title=Fine Gael senator John McGahon found not guilty of assault outside Dundalk bar in 2018|website=The Journal|date=27 May 2022 }} In July 2024, in a civil action in the High Court, a jury ordered McGahon to pay €39,000 over the assault in June 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/fine-gael-senator-john-mcgahon-ordered-to-pay-e39000-over-assault-outside-pub-1645133.html|title=Fine Gael Senator John McGahon ordered to pay €39,000 over assault outside pub|work=BreakingNews.ie |date=2 July 2024|access-date=3 July 2024}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.finegael.ie/our-people/senators/louth/john-mcgahon/ John McGahon's page on the Fine Gael website]
{{Members of the 26th Seanad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGahon, John}}
Category:Members of the 26th Seanad
Category:Members of Louth County Council
Category:Alumni of University College Dublin
Category:People educated at Dundalk Grammar School
Category:Fine Gael candidates in Dáil elections