Patrick Nulty
{{Short description|Irish politician (born 1982)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|image =
|office = Teachta Dála
|term_start = October 2011
|term_end = 24 March 2014
|constituency = Dublin West
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1982|11|18|df=y}}
|birth_place = Dublin, Ireland
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = {{ubl|Independent|Labour Party (–2013)}}
|spouse =
|children =
|alma_mater = {{ubl|Trinity College Dublin|University College Dublin}}
}}
Patrick Nulty (born 18 November 1982) is a teacher, university lecturer and former Irish Labour Party politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Dublin West at a by-election in October 2011.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Patrick-Nulty.D.2011-10-27/|title=Patrick Nulty|work=Oireachtas Members Database|date=12 March 2014|access-date=23 March 2014}} He sat as an independent TD after losing the Labour Party whip on 6 December 2011.{{cite news|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/nulty-exits-coalition-in-budget-row-16087449.html|title=Nulty exits coalition in Budget row|date=6 December 2011|work=Belfast Telegraph|access-date=6 December 2011|location=Belfast}} He resigned as a TD on 24 March 2014 after sending several sexually inappropriate messages to domestic abuse victims in his constituency and a 17-year-old girl.{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/0322/603972-patrick-nulty/|title=Nulty resigns over 'inappropriate' Facebook messages|work=RTÉ News|date=23 March 2014}}http://www.sundayworld.com/news/news/nulty-erases-his-memory-span{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Biography
Nulty was born and raised in Corduff near Dublin.{{cite web|url=http://patricknulty.wordpress.com/about/ |title=About |last=Nulty |first=Patrick |work=Blog |access-date=28 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824032528/http://patricknulty.wordpress.com/about/ |archivedate=24 August 2011 }} When two weeks old, he was injured in a house fire, leaving him with burn scars on his face and arms.{{cite news|url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/politics/i-dont-come-from-a-political-dynasty-170645.html|title='I don't come from a political dynasty'|date=14 October 2011|work=Irish Examiner|access-date=28 October 2011|location=Cork}} He attended Riversdale Community College and has a degree in social policy from Trinity College Dublin and a Masters in Social Science from University College Dublin. He worked as a social policy advisor for a homeless charity for five years. He is also a former National Chairperson of Labour Youth and was a prominent activist of the Students' Union in Trinity.
Political career
=Labour Youth=
A leading member of Labour Youth's re-foundation in the early 2000s, Nulty served in Labour Youth as the National Chairman, Communications Officer and Gender Equality Officer. Nulty led a campaign while in Trinity Labour Youth against the sexual harassment of female students on campus.{{Cite web|url=http://www.labouryouth.ie/branches/trinity-college/|title=Trinity College Dublin – Labour Youth}} Throughout Nulty's career in the Labour Party, he had been a vocal supporter of Labour Youth and was regular speakers at the annual Labour Youth Tom Johnson Summer School.
=County Council=
=Dáil=
He was Labour's unsuccessful second candidate for Dublin West at the 2011 general election, where running-mate Joan Burton topped the poll, but was elected as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Dublin West at a by-election in October 2011. It was the first time since 1982 that a government party candidate had won a by-election.{{cite news|url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/nulty-elected-in-dublin-west-526334.html|title=Nulty elected in Dublin West|date=29 October 2011|work=Irish Examiner|access-date=29 October 2011}}{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/1029/breaking4.html|title=Labour wins Dublin byelection|date=29 October 2011|work=The Irish Times|access-date=29 October 2011|first=Marie|last=O'Halloran}}
He was on the Labour Party's left wing, and opposed both the Lisbon Treaty{{cite news|url=http://www.sbpost.ie/news/ireland/byelection-race-shows-plenty-of-western-promise-for-labour-59008.html|title=By-election race shows plenty of Western promise for Labour|date=9 October 2011|work=Sunday Business Post|access-date=28 October 2011}} and Labour's coalition deal with Fine Gael after the election.{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/fianna-fail-gives-up-the-fight-for-lenihans-former-seat-2914402.html|title=Fianna Fáil gives up the fight for Lenihan's former seat|last1=Drennan|first1=John|first2=Daniel|last2=McConnell|date=23 October 2011|work=Irish Independent|access-date=28 October 2011}} He also rejected the idea of a transfer pact with the Fine Gael candidate despite the parties' coalition.{{cite news|url=http://www.sbpost.ie/news/ireland/labour-candidate-to-reject-fg-vote-transfer-59026.html|title=Labour candidate to reject FG vote transfer|last=Connolly|first=Niamh|date=9 October 2011|work=Sunday Business Post|access-date=28 October 2011}} While in opposition he called on his former colleagues to legislate for the X case as had been promised by Labour for many years.{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0217/xcase.html|title=No legislation 20 years after the X Case|work=RTÉ News|date=17 February 2012}} Nulty voted against the VAT increase in the 2012 budget and lost the Labour Party whip as a result.{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/1206/breaking55.html|title=Labour TD votes against Vat measure|work=The Irish Times|date=6 December 2011|first1=Marie|last1=O'Halloran|first2=Michael|last2=O'Regan}}
He was described as a "Labour rebel candidate" by the Irish Independent, while The Irish Times quoted the label "anti-government Government candidate" discussing his opposition to cuts in services at Blanchardstown Hospital.{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/1018/1224305994412.html|title=Dublin West may halt a 29-year trend|last=McGee|first=Harry|date=18 October 2011|work=The Irish Times|access-date=28 October 2011}}
On 21 June 2013, he resigned from the Labour Party.{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0621/457923-patrick-nulty-labour/|title=Patrick Nulty resigns from Labour Party|work=RTÉ News|date=21 June 2013}}
=Resignation as TD=
He resigned from the Dáil on 24 March 2014 as a result of having sent inappropriate Facebook messages to a 17-year-old female, and to two other adult women.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26702188|title=Irish MP Patrick Nulty quits over 'inappropriate' Facebook messages|work=BBC News|date=23 March 2014}} At first he denied that he was the sender of the messages, and claimed that his phone had been hacked, but subsequently admitted his behaviour when confronted with evidence that the messages had been sent from Leinster House.{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/nulty-resigns-over-inappropriate-facebook-messages-1.173519/|title=Nulty resigns over 'inappropriate' Facebook messages|work=The Irish Times|date=22 March 2014}}{{cite news|url=http://www.sundayworld.com/news/td-sent-spanking-facebook-messages-to-girl-17|title=TD sent inappropriate Facebook messages to girl (17)|work=Sunday World|date=22 March 2014|access-date=25 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402161744/http://www.sundayworld.com/news/td-sent-spanking-facebook-messages-to-girl-17|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=dead}} Nulty apologised for his behaviour and said the "message was sent while under the influence of alcohol". In September 2015 he was awarded a teaching scholarship by the University of Limerick to undertake a PhD in Politics and Public Administration. He now works full time for that university as a researcher and tutor.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Dublin West (Dáil constituency)/TDs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nulty, Patrick}}
Category:Alumni of Trinity College Dublin
Category:Alumni of University College Dublin
Category:Labour Party (Ireland) TDs
Category:Members of Fingal County Council