Stephen Donnelly
Stephen Donnelly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader of the Social Democrats with Catherine Murphy and Róisín Shortall | |
| Assumed office 15 July 2015 | |
| Preceded by | New office |
| Teachta Dála | |
| Assumed office February 2011 | |
| Constituency | Wicklow |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1975 (age 48–49) Delgany, Wicklow, Ireland |
| Political party | Social Democrats |
| Other political affiliations | Independent (2011–15) |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin Massachusetts Institute of Technology Harvard University |
| Website | www |
Stephen Donnelly (born 1975) is an Irish politician, who is co-founder and joint-leader of the Social Democrats. Initially elected as an independent Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wicklow constituency at the 2011 general election,[1] since co-founding the Social Democrats, he has stood successfully for them at the 2016 general election.
Personal life and career
Donnelly is a graduate of University College Dublin (UCD) with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He also worked and studied in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 2000, Donnelly moved to London where he worked as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company.
In 2008, he completed a master's degree in Public Administration in International Development in the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.[2] He returned to work for McKinsey and Company in Dublin before deciding to run for office in 2011.
Donnelly lives in Greystones, County Wicklow with his wife and three sons.
Political career
Donnelly is a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform and part of the Irish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
In October 2012, he addressed Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, in the Dáil on behalf of the technical group, saying: "€67 billion is being borrowed from the troika, virtually all of which is going into the banks and almost the same amount is being given by the banks to the senior bondholders in terms of forgone losses. This is what has happened: there has been a €67 billion circle of money from the troika through Ireland to the international banks and investors… I thank Mr. Schulz for his support and I hope he will be able to bring this simple message back: Ireland did not get a bailout and Ireland is not looking for aid or benevolence. We need our money back in order that we can contribute to the recovery of Europe."[3]
The Irish Times's Miriam Lord recognised Donnelly as her 2012 Politician of the Year, due to his contributions on Ireland's financial crisis.[4]
In 2016 he was confused for Chief Economist at the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) Dan O'Brien, with Donnelly himself admitting the resemblance and confusion during media appearances by the two.[5]
Social Democrats
On 15 July 2015, Donnelly launched the Social Democrats party along with former Labour Party TD Róisín Shortall and former independent TD Catherine Murphy.[6]
References
- ^ "Stephen Donnelly". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ "About Stephen". stephendonnelly.ie. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ "Dáil debates". Retrieved 4 October 2012.
- ^ Lord, Miriam (22 December 2012). "My Christmas crackers and festive turkeys". The Irish Times.
- ^ "Two guests' names were mixed up on Clare Byrne Live and Twitter loved it". Irish Independent. 9 May 2016.
Their likeness was even highlighted by Mr Donnelly before the debate as he tweeted a picture of a pair with the comment "spot the hidden mirror". However, that didn't stop Mr O'Brien being wrongly credited as Stephen Donnelly on the show's captions.
- ^ O'Connor, Niall (15 July 2015). "New Social Democrats group pledge to abolish water charges and repeal the Eighth Amendment". Irish Independent.