Robert Dowds

{{Short description|Irish former Labour Party politician (b. 1953)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}

{{Use Hiberno-English|date=July 2022}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| image =

| office = Teachta Dála

| term_start = February 2011

| term_end = February 2016

| constituency = Dublin Mid-West

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|5|11|df=y}}

| birth_place = Dublin, Ireland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = Irish

| party = Labour Party

| spouse = {{marriage|Katherine Dowds|1986}}

| children = 2

| education = The King's Hospital

| alma_mater = {{Ubl|Trinity College Dublin|St Patrick's College, Dublin}}

|}}

Robert Dowds (born 11 May 1953) is an Irish former Labour Party politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Mid-West constituency from 2011 to 2016.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Robert-Dowds.D.2011-03-09/|title=Robert Dowds|work=Oireachtas Members Database|access-date=21 March 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?id=838|title=Robert Dowds|work=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=21 March 2011}}

He was a member of South Dublin County Council for the Clondalkin electoral area from 1999 to 2011. He was re-elected at the 2004 local elections, serving as Mayor of South Dublin County Council from 2004 to 2005, and re-elected again at the 2009 local elections.

He did not contest the 2016 general election.{{cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/robert-dowds-decides-not-to-contest-general-election-1.2360092|title=Robert Dowds decides not to contest general election|work=Irish Times|date=21 September 2015}}

He attempted to get re-elected to South Dublin County Council in 2019, but was unsuccessful by a margin of 39 votes.

A member of the Church of Ireland,{{cite web|url=http://gazette.ireland.anglican.org/2011/03Mar/040311/index040311.htm|title=Church of Ireland members elected to 31st Dáil|work=Church of Ireland Gazette|date=4 March 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313083531/http://gazette.ireland.anglican.org/2011/03Mar/040311/index040311.htm|archivedate=13 March 2011}} he went on scholarship to The King's Hospital private school in Dublin,[http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/feepaying-schools-have-the-edge-in-battle-for-seats-at-the-cabinet-table-28951639.html Fee-paying schools have the edge in battle for seats at the Cabinet table] Irish Independent, 27 December 2012. and was also educated at Trinity College Dublin and St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra.