Patrick McKee
{{Short description|Irish politician}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Patrick McKee
| nationality = Irish
| image =
| office = Kilkenny County Councillor
| predecessor =
| successor =
| term_start = 23 May 2014
| term_end = 24 May 2019
| office2 =
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| constituency2= Kilkenny City West
| party = Fianna Fáil
{{small|(until 2015, since 2018)}}
| otherparty = {{ubl|Renua {{small|(2015–2016)}}|Independent {{small|(2016–2018)}}}}
| birth_date =
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| alma_mater = University College Cork
| website =
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Patrick McKee is a lawyer and former politician. He is a member of Fianna Fáil, and was formerly a member of Renua and was their candidate in the 2015 Carlow-Kilkenny Dáil by-election.{{cite web|url=http://utv.ie/News/2015/03/31/Renua-Ireland-unveil-Patrick-McKee-as-new-candidate-34578|title=Renua Ireland unveil Patrick McKee as new candidate|work=UTV|access-date=3 December 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304085734/http://utv.ie/News/2015/03/31/Renua-Ireland-unveil-Patrick-McKee-as-new-candidate-34578|archive-date=4 March 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/fianna-fail-still-using-patrick-mckees-image-on-campaign-literature-despite-party-exit-31131831.html|title=Fianna Fail still using Patrick McKee's image on campaign literature despite party exit|work=Irish Independent|date=10 April 2015 |access-date=3 December 2016}}{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/carlow-kilkenny-byelection-renua-policies-closest-to-fg-1.2204214|title=Carlow-Kilkenny byelection: Renua policies closest to FG|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=3 December 2016}}
Background
McKee was born in June 1988. He attended secondary school at St Kieran's College until 2006, going on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Business from Waterford Institute of Technology in 2010.{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/blow-for-fianna-fil-as-rising-star-defects-to-lucindas-party-31106494.html|title=Blow for Fianna Fáil as rising star defects to Lucinda's party|work=Irish Independent|date=31 March 2015 |access-date=3 December 2016}} In 2011 he received a Bachelor of Laws degree from University College Cork.{{cite web|url=http://www.kilkennypeople.ie/news/kilkenny-news/confirmed-mckee-leaves-ff-for-renua-1-6662557|title=Confirmed: McKee leaves FF for Renua|work=Kilkenny People|access-date=3 December 2016}} McKee works as a solicitor with Turner Solicitors, in Dublin.{{cite web|url=https://irishelectionliterature.com/2015/03/31/leaflet-from-patrick-mckee-renua-ireland-2015-carlow-kilkenny-by-election/|title=Leaflet from Patrick McKee - Renua Ireland – 2015 Carlow Kilkenny By-Election|date=31 March 2015|work=Irish Election Literature|access-date=3 December 2016}} McKee publicly came out as a gay man in 2011 during an interview on local radio.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/patrick-mckee-joins-renua-denies-approaching-sinn-f%C3%A9in-1.2160128|title=Patrick McKee joins Renua, denies approaching Sinn Féin|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=31 March 2015|first=Conor|last=Kane|access-date=23 October 2020}}{{cite web|url=http://www.thejournal.ie/posters-defaced-local-elections-1442335-May2014/|title='It was upsetting for my kids' – candidates criticise defacement of local election posters|first=Aoife|last=Mullen|work=TheJournal.ie|date=3 May 2014 |access-date=3 December 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.thejournal.ie/renua-poster-defaced-2100258-May2015/|title="This is about fear...": Renua candidate's poster defaced with anti-gay slurs|first=Daragh|last=Brophy|work=TheJournal.ie|date=13 May 2015 |access-date=3 December 2016}}
Political career
In 2006, McKee joined Ógra Fianna Fáil, the youth wing of Fianna Fáil, and established the Thomas Francis Meagher Cumann during his time in WIT. During his time in Waterford he worked closely with former Minister for Transport Martin Cullen TD.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} McKee held positions both locally and nationally in Ógra Fianna Fáil. He was elected Leinster representative on Ógra Fianna Fáil's National Youth Committee in 2011.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} During 2010 McKee worked as an intern in Seanad Éireann for Senator Mark Daly.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
In 2013 he declared his candidacy for Kilkenny County Council in the forthcoming elections and in May 2014 was elected in the local electoral area of Kilkenny City for Fianna Fáil.{{Cite news|last=Edwards|first=Elaine|title=Renua spent some €30,000 on byelection, Sipo says|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/renua-spent-some-30-000-on-byelection-sipo-says-1.2330703|access-date=2021-03-14|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}} He was elected chairman of the Joint Policing Committee and leas-cathaoirleach of the council. In March 2015 McKee left Fianna Fáil amid rumors of homophobic bullying and joined the newly formed Renua party.{{cite web|url=http://www.thejournal.ie/patrick-mckee-renua-2022584-Mar2015/|title='I never said that': Renua's latest recruit denies trying to join Sinn Féin|first=Hugh|last=O'Connell|work=TheJournal.ie|date=31 March 2015 |access-date=3 December 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://kclr96fm.com/kilkenny-fianna-fail-councillor-unveiled-as-renua-candidate-for-by-election|title=Kilkenny Cllr Patrick McKee leaves Fianna Fail for Renua|date=31 March 2015|work=KCLR 96fm|access-date=3 December 2016}} His departure prompted criticism from a number of high-profile Fianna Fáil colleagues, including Michael McGrath and Timmy Dooley. He later stated that before joining Renua, he had considered joining Sinn Féin.{{Cite web|last=Cionnaith|first=Fiachra Ó|date=2015-04-01|title=Renua's newest candidate recently considered joining Sinn Féin|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20321491.html|access-date=2021-03-11|website=Irish Examiner|language=en}}
McKee was the Renua candidate for the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency at both the 2015 by-election and the 2016 general election. He won 9.5% and 3.6% of the first-preference votes on each occasion.{{cite web |title=Patrick McKee |url=https://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=10982 |website=ElectionsIreland.org |access-date=22 July 2023}}
In December 2016, McKee left Renua Ireland and rejoined Fianna Fail.{{cite web|url=https://kclr96fm.com/patrick-mckee-trades-renua-party-old/|title=Patrick McKee trades in his (Re)nua party for old|first=MarryAnn|last=Vaughan|work=kclr96fm.com|date=5 December 2016|access-date=15 December 2016}} He returned to Fianna Fáil in 2017, which was met with criticism from some members of the party and prompted comment from Micheál Martin and a number of board members of the party to resign.{{Cite web|last=Ryan|first=Philip|date=2017-05-28|title=Fianna Fail board resigns after ex-Renua councillor rejoins|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/fianna-fail-board-resigns-after-ex-renua-councillor-rejoins-35763173.html|access-date=2021-03-11|website=Irish Independent|language=en}}
In February 2018, he garnered criticism over comments he made about Ruth Coppinger on Twitter for which later apologised.{{Cite news|last=Bardon|first=Sarah|date=2018-02-06|title=FF councillor apologises over Coppinger clothes tweet|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/ff-councillor-apologises-over-coppinger-clothes-tweet-1.3382441|access-date=2021-03-11|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}} In November 2018, McKee announced that he would not be standing for re-election, instead deciding to focus on the development of his legal career.{{Cite web|date=2018-11-19|title=Kilkenny Councillor Patrick McKee announces he won't be seeking re-election|url=https://kclr96fm.com/kilkenny-councillor-patrick-mckee-announces-he-wont-be-seeking-re-election/|access-date=2021-03-11|website=KCLR 96FM|language=en-GB}}
References
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Category:Alumni of University College Cork
Category:Alumni of Waterford Institute of Technology
Category:Fianna Fáil local councillors
Category:Irish gay politicians
Category:Members of Kilkenny County Council
Category:Politicians from County Kilkenny
Category:Independent local councillors in the Republic of Ireland
Category:21st-century Irish LGBTQ people
Category:Renua candidates in Dáil elections