Pearse Doherty
{{Short description|Irish politician (born 1977)}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=August 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-suffix = TD
| image = Pearse Doherty, Dec 2024 - (54187240203) (cropped).jpg
| caption = Doherty in 2024
| office = Deputy leader of Sinn Féin in Dáil Éireann
| term_start = 29 May 2018
| term_end =
| predecessor = New office
| successor =
| 1blankname = {{nowrap|President}}
| 1namedata = Mary Lou McDonald
| office1 = Teachta Dála
| term_start1 = February 2016
| term_end1 =
| constituency1 = Donegal
| term_start2 = November 2010
| term_end2 = February 2016
| constituency2 = Donegal South-West
| office3 = Senator
| term_start3 = 13 September 2007
| term_end3 = 26 November 2010
| constituency3 = Agricultural Panel
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|7|6|df=y}}
| birth_place = Glasgow, Scotland
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Sinn Féin
| spouse = {{marriage|Róisín Doherty|2009}}
| children = 4
| alma_mater = Dublin Institute of Technology
| website = {{Official website|http://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/14981}}
|}}
Pearse Daniel Doherty (born 6 July 1977) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Donegal constituency since the 2016 general election, and previously a TD for the Donegal South-West constituency from 2010 to 2016. He also previously served as a Senator for the Agricultural Panel from 2007 to 2010.{{cite web |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23/ |title=Pearse Doherty |publisher=Oireachtas Members Database |access-date=19 March 2011 |archive-date=8 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108184848/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23 |url-status=live }}
Early life
Pearse Daniel Doherty was born in Glasgow on 6 July 1977, the son of Irish parents. When he was three years old, the family returned home to the Irish-speaking town of Gweedore, where he grew up and became fluent in Irish.{{cite news |last=De Bréadún |first=Deaglán |date=13 November 2010|title=You'll be getting my number one and there's more again in that house and down the lane |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1113/1224283235802.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304062805/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1113/1224283235802.html|archive-date=4 March 2011|access-date=30 September 2024|newspaper=The Irish Times}} He enrolled in a civil engineering degree course at Dublin Institute of Technology in 1996, but dropped out after 2 years to take on a job in the industry. In 1999, Doherty, Matt Carthy and two other Sinn Féin activists were arrested in Dublin. At a court hearing it was alleged that Doherty had abused a Garda, though it was argued Doherty's comment was the consequence of a "simple misunderstanding" and was not in any way intended to offend the Garda. He was convicted, but was given the benefit of the Probation Act in lieu of a criminal record.{{Cite news|last=Downing|first=John|date=16 June 2022|title=Varadkar v Doherty: The story behind the garda 'abuse' remarks and a bitter Dáil row|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/varadkar-v-doherty-the-story-behind-the-garda-abuse-remarks-and-a-bitter-dail-row/41761022.html |access-date=30 September 2024|work=Irish Independent}}{{Cite news |date=1999-07-09 |title=SF councillor is convicted of public order offences |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/sf-councillor-is-convicted-of-public-order-offences-1.204423 |access-date=30 September 2024|work=The Irish Times}}
He completed two years of his civil engineering course, earning a national certificate that entitled him to work as a civil engineering technician. He then left third-level education to pursue a job in that field.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-12364589 |title=Sinn Féin Donegal South-West candidate's biographical error |publisher=BBC News |date=4 February 2011 |access-date=4 February 2011 |archive-date=7 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207051039/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-12364589 |url-status=live }} He later resumed his studies by enrolling in another civil engineering course at Letterkenny Institute of Technology, but dropped out in order to run for Dáil Éireann in the 2002 general election.{{cite news |last=Reilly |first=Gavan |date=3 February 2011 |title=Sinn Féin's Doherty forced to clarify job qualifications |url=http://www.thejournal.ie/sinn-feins-doherty-forced-to-clarify-job-qualifications-2011-02/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205194749/http://www.thejournal.ie/sinn-feins-doherty-forced-to-clarify-job-qualifications-2011-02/ |archive-date=5 February 2011 |access-date=30 September 2024|website=The Journal}}
Political career
A member of Sinn Féin since 1996,{{Cite news|last=Kerr|first=Aine|date=9 February 2011|title=Donegal South-West: Poster boy gives party credibility |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/donegal-south-west-poster-boy-gives-party-credibility/26669316.html |access-date=30 September 2024|work=Irish Independent |quote=The former senator-turned-TD (33) only joined Sinn Fein in 1996 and is a generation removed from the Troubles and the traditional perceptions of Sinn Fein, which has left the party struggling for prominence in the south.}} Doherty was a founding member of Ógra Shinn Féin and served on its national executive between 1998 and 2001.{{Cite news |last=Finn |first=Christina|date=26 June 2016|title=Pearse Doherty: 'Despite my passion to be part of Sinn Féin, being a TD is something I may regret' |url=https://www.thejournal.ie/interview-pearse-doherty-2843572-Jun2016/|access-date=30 September 2024|work=The Journal |quote=The 38-year-old TD came to this politics game young. A founding member of Ógra Shinn Féin he served on its National Executive between 1998 and 2001}}
In the 2002 general election, Doherty ran unsuccessfully in the Donegal South-West constituency.{{Cite web |last=Ashmore |first=Chris |title=The remarkable rise of the Sinn Féin vote in Donegal in recent years |url=https://www.donegallive.ie/news/election-2020/516247/the-remarkable-rise-of-the-sinn-fein-vote-in-donegal-in-recent-years.html |access-date=11 April 2024|website=www.donegallive.ie |date=10 February 2020 |language=en}} On 11 June 2004, he ran simultaneously at the local elections for Donegal County Council and at the 2004 European Parliament elections. He failed to win a seat in the European Parliament, but was elected to Donegal County Council for the Glenties local electoral area.{{cite web |url=http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=4773 |title=Pearse Doherty |publisher=ElectionsIreland.org |access-date=3 July 2009 |archive-date=30 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130165206/http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=4773 |url-status=live }}
Doherty's second attempt to win a Dáil seat, at the 2007 general election, also proved unsuccessful; he received 21.2% of the first-preference vote. However, he was elected to Seanad Éireann as a Senator for the Agricultural Panel on 24 July 2007.
On 12 July 2010, the High Court granted Doherty a judicial review into why the government had not held a by-election to fill the Dáil seat vacated by Fianna Fáil's Pat "the Cope" Gallagher when he won election to the European Parliament in June 2009.{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0712/politics.html |title=Bye-election judicial review is allowed |publisher=RTÉ News |date=12 July 2010 |access-date=12 July 2010 |archive-date=14 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714023443/http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0712/politics.html |url-status=live }} On 2 November 2010, the High Court ruled that the government had delayed unreasonably in holding the by-election. In response to the ruling, the government announced that the Donegal South-West by-election would be held on 25 November 2010. Doherty stood as the Sinn Féin candidate and won the by-election by a substantial margin, earning 39.8 percent of the first-preference vote.{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/1126/donegaltracker.html |title=Live updates: Donegal by-election count |publisher=RTÉ News |date=26 November 2010 |access-date=26 November 2010 |archive-date=27 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127125658/http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/1126/donegaltracker.html |url-status=live }} On taking his seat in the Dáil, Doherty was appointed Sinn Féin's spokesperson on Finance.{{Cite web |last= |date=4 December 2010|title=Doherty 'honoured' to be Sinn Fein finance spokesman |url=https://www.donegaldaily.com/2010/12/04/breaking-news-doherty-election-victory-pushes-sinn-fein-up-in-polls/ |access-date=11 April 2024|website=Donegal Daily |language=en}} However, the Dáil was dissolved on 1 February 2011, at which point Doherty had been a TD for just over nine weeks.{{Cite web |title=Information about Ireland election 25 February 2011 – Political Science Department – Trinity College Dublin |url=https://www.tcd.ie/Political_Science/about/people/michael_gallagher/Election2011.php |access-date=11 April 2024|website=www.tcd.ie |quote=On Tuesday 1 February 2011 the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, acting on the advice of the Taoiseach (prime minister), Brian Cowen, dissolved the 30th Dáil.}}
Shortly before the 2011 general election, several newspapers alleged that Doherty had misled the public by stating on various Sinn Féin and Oireachtas webpages that he had formerly worked as a "civil engineer", an occupation that presumes a degree-level qualification. Doherty insisted that he had "always been upfront" about the fact that he had not completed his degree, clarified his educational credentials, and acknowledged that he had qualified as a civil engineering technician and not a civil engineer.{{cite news |last=Kerr |first=Aine |date=4 February 2011 |title=Doherty 'pulls a Bertie' with his engineer claim |url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/doherty-pulls-a-bertie-with-his-engineer-claim-2525249.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207021924/http://www.independent.ie/national-news/doherty-pulls-a-bertie-with-his-engineer-claim-2525249.html |archive-date=7 February 2011 |access-date=30 September 2024|work=Irish Independent}}
In that election Doherty topped the poll decisively in Donegal South-West, attaining 14,262 first-preference votes (32.97%) .{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/election2011/results/index.html |title=Election 2011: National Summary |publisher=RTÉ News |date=28 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903011006/http://www.rte.ie/news/election2011/results/index.html |archive-date=3 September 2011 }}
Doherty represented Sinn Féin in the Oireachtas delegation that met the Bundestag's Budgetary and European Affairs committees in Berlin in late January 2012.{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0126/finance.html |title=Oireachtas delegation in Bundestag meeting |publisher=RTÉ News |date=26 January 2012 |access-date=26 January 2012 |archive-date=29 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129034553/http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0126/finance.html |url-status=live }}
It was revealed in June 2012, that Doherty put €8,000 worth of unspent travel and accommodation expenses towards hiring part-time party workers, despite these expenses being supposed to be returned to the Oireachtas under rules introduced in 2010.{{cite news |last=Brennan |first=Michael |date=20 June 2012 |title=How Sinn Féin TDs are breaking the rules on expenses |url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/how-sinn-fein-tds-are-breaking-the-rules-on-expenses-3144781.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621033659/http://www.independent.ie/national-news/how-sinn-fein-tds-are-breaking-the-rules-on-expenses-3144781.html|archive-date=21 June 2012|access-date=30 September 2024|work=Irish Independent}} A report found that he had not breached any expense rules, and cleared him of any wrongdoing.{{Cite news |last=Reilly |first=Gavan |date=28 June 2012|title=Oireachtas confirms Pearse Doherty did NOT breach expenses rules|url=https://www.thejournal.ie/pearse-doherty-expenses-no-breach-leinster-house-travel-503075-Jun2012/|access-date=30 September 2024|work=The Journal}}
At the 2016 general election, after a redrawing of constituency boundaries, Doherty was elected to the new five-seater Donegal constituency on the 8th count with 10,300 votes.{{cite news |last=Moriarty |first=Gerry |date=28 February 2016 |title=Donegal count: Independent Thomas Pringle takes final seat |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/donegal-count-independent-thomas-pringle-takes-final-seat-1.2549873 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160229093643/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/donegal-count-independent-thomas-pringle-takes-final-seat-1.2549873 |archive-date=29 February 2016 |access-date=30 September 2024|newspaper=The Irish Times}} On 29 May 2018, Doherty was appointed Deputy Leader of Sinn Féin.{{Cite web |last=McConnell |first=Daniel |date=2018-02-24 |title=Pearse Doherty appointed Sinn Féin deputy leader |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20467580.html |access-date=2025-01-25 |website=Irish Examiner |language=en}}
He topped the poll at the 2020 general election with 21,044 first-preference votes (27.17%),{{Cite news |title=Donegal constituency |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/election2020/donegal |access-date=11 April 2024|newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}} and was appointed leader of Sinn Féin's negotiations team.{{cite news |date=11 February 2020 |title=Pearse Doherty to lead Sinn Féin negotiations team |url=https://donegalnews.com/2020/02/pearse-doherty-to-lead-sinn-fein-negotiations-team/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221223857/https://donegalnews.com/2020/02/pearse-doherty-to-lead-sinn-fein-negotiations-team/ |archive-date=21 February 2020 |access-date=21 February 2020 |work=Donegal News}}
On 16 June 2022, Doherty clashed with Tánaiste Leo Varadkar in the Dáil. Doherty attacked Varadkar for being "out of touch" and brought up Varadkar's legal issues with the DPP. Varadkar responded by calling it a "cheap shot" and brought up a 1999 in which Doherty was convicted of abusing a Garda, saying "You abused, mistreated a Garda Síochána. For that you were prosecuted. You were found guilty. Yes, you got away without a conviction because of your age at the time, but you were actually prosecuted. You were arrested. That's what happened to you."{{Cite news |last=Cunningham |first=Paul |date=16 June 2022 |title=Varadkar and Doherty clash in heated Dáil exchange |language=en |work=RTÉ News |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0616/1305228-dail-debate/ |access-date=16 June 2022}}
At the 2024 general election, Doherty was re-elected to the Dáil on the first count. He received the highest number of first preference votes in the country, at 18,898 (24.66%).
Personal life
Doherty continues to reside in Gweedore. He is married to Róisín, a school teacher from County Monaghan. They have four sons.{{Cite web |title=Pearse Doherty TD |url=https://www.sinnfein.ie/pearse-doherty |access-date=11 April 2024|website=sinnfein.ie |quote=Pearse lives in the Gaeltacht area of Gweedore with his wife Roisín and his four young sons. A member of Guth na Gaeltachta and fluent Irish speaker, Pearse is a keen advocate of the Irish Language and the development of the Gaeltacht regions.}}{{cite news |date=14 May 2012 |title=Doherty has another date marked in his {{sic|calen|der|nolink=y}} |url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/doherty-has-another-date-marked-in-his-calender-3106035.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517013303/http://www.independent.ie/national-news/doherty-has-another-date-marked-in-his-calender-3106035.html |archive-date=17 May 2012 |access-date=27 May 2012 |work=Irish Independent}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [https://vote.sinnfein.ie/td/pearse-doherty/ Pearse Doherty's page on the Sinn Féin website]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110203021501/http://www.donegalsf.com/representatives/938 Pearse Doherty] donegalsf.com
- [http://www.anphoblacht.com/news/detail/18732 Dáil General Election Profile : Pearse Doherty, Donegal South–West]
{{Current TDs}}
{{Donegal South-West (Dáil constituency)/TDs}}
{{Donegal (Dáil constituency)/TDs}}
{{Members of the 23rd Seanad}}
{{Sinn Féin}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doherty, Pearse}}
Category:Members of the 23rd Seanad
Category:Members of the 30th Dáil
Category:Members of the 31st Dáil
Category:Members of the 32nd Dáil
Category:Members of the 33rd Dáil
Category:Politicians from County Donegal
Category:Sinn Féin TDs (post-1923)
Category:Agricultural Panel senators
Category:Sinn Féin local councillors in the Republic of Ireland