Charlie McConalogue | |
|---|---|
.jpg) McConalogue in 2022 | |
| Minister of State | |
| 2025– | Culture, Communications and Sport |
| 2020 | Justice |
| Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine | |
| In office 2 September 2020 – 23 January 2025 | |
| Taoiseach | |
| Preceded by | Micheál Martin(acting) |
| Succeeded by | Martin Heydon |
| Teachta Dála | |
| Assumed office February 2016 | |
| Constituency | Donegal |
| In office February 2011 – February 2016 | |
| Constituency | Donegal North-East |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles McConalogue (1977-10-29)29 October 1977 (age 48)[1] Letterkenny,County Donegal, Ireland |
| Political party | Fianna Fáil |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
Charles McConalogue (born 29 October 1977) is an IrishFianna Fáil politician who has served asMinister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport since January 2025. He previously served asMinister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine from September 2020 to January 2025 andMinister of State at the Department of Justice from July 2020 to September 2020. He has been aTeachta Dála (TD) for theDonegal constituency since the2016 general election, and previously from 2011 to 2016 for theDonegal North-East constituency.[2]
McConalogue has a degree in economics, politics and history fromUniversity College Dublin (UCD), which he completed after a year as Education Officer in theUCD Students' Union. After graduation, he worked as a political organiser at the Fianna Fáil HQ in Dublin. Upon the death of his father, he returned home to manage the family farm nearCarndonagh in the north ofInishowen,County Donegal.[3]
He was raised nearGleneely,[4] a village in the north of Inishowen, and was in Australia before returning to the farm. He is married with two sons.[5]
McConalogue was elected toDonegal County Council at the2009 local elections to represent the Inishowen local electoral area.[6]
AfterJim McDaid's retirement andNiall Blaney's decision to step down from politics for personal reasons, Fianna Fáil had no sitting TD in Donegal North-East to contest the2011 general election. The party chose McConalogue as Fianna Fáil's sole candidate for the constituency.
In the election, he won 17.4% of the first-preference vote and was elected on the 9th count to fill the third and final seat, behindSinn Féin'sPádraig Mac Lochlainn andFine Gael'sJoe McHugh.[7] He was the Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Children from April 2011 to July 2012. In July 2012, he was appointed as party spokesperson on Education and Skills.
In the 2016 general election, after a redrawing of constituency boundaries, McConalogue ran alongsidePat "the Cope" Gallagher as one of two Fianna Fáil candidates in the new five-seater Donegal constituency. McConalogue topped the poll and was elected on the first count.[8]
He represented Fianna Fáil intalks on government formation in 2016.[9]
On 1 July 2020, McConalogue was appointed as aMinister of State at the Department of Justice with responsibility for law reform.[10] On 2 September that year, he was appointed as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, with the vacancy having arisen following theOireachtas Golf Society scandal.[11]
It emerged in December 2020 that McConalogue had tested positive forCOVID-19 after returning from Brussels on 17 December, prompting all ministers in the Government to restrict their movements. The initial result was negative. He went shopping in Dublin hours ahead of a scheduled five-day follow-up COVID-19 test which led to the positive result he received on 23 December. He displayed no symptoms and isolated in his native Donegal.[12][13]
McConalogue had been due to travel to Canada for St Patrick's Day in March 2022. However, he later confirmed that a positive COVID-19 test had prevented him from doing so. His period of isolation elapsed in time for him to sit on the "VIP lorry" at the parade inBuncrana.[14]
On 17 December 2022, he was re-appointed to the same position following Leo Varadkar's appointment as Taoiseach.[15]
At the2024 general election, McConalogue was re-elected to the Dáil. He was not re-appointed as a senior cabinet minister in January 2025. On 29 January 2025, he was appointed asMinister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport with special responsibility forsport and postal policy.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New office | Minister of State at the Department of Justice 2020 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Micheál Martin(acting) | Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine 2020–2025 | Succeeded by |
| New office | Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport 2025–present | Incumbent |