Deirdre Clune | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Clune in 2022 | |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 1 February 2020 – 17 July 2024 | |
| In office 1 July 2014 – 24 May 2019 | |
| Constituency | South |
| Senator | |
| In office 25 May 2011 – 27 May 2014 | |
| Constituency | Cultural and Educational Panel |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office May 2007 – February 2011 | |
| In office June 1997 – May 2002 | |
| Constituency | Cork South-Central |
| Lord Mayor of Cork | |
| In office 20 May 2005 – 23 May 2006 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Deirdre Barry (1959-06-01)1 June 1959 (age 66) Blackrock, Cork, Ireland |
| Political party |
|
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Anthony Barry (grandfather) |
| Alma mater | |
| Website | deirdreclune |
Deirdre Clune (née Barry; born 1 June 1959) is an Irish politician who served as aMember of the European Parliament (MEP) fromIreland for theSouth constituency from 2014 to 2019, and again from 2020 to 2024. She is a member ofFine Gael, part of theEuropean People's Party.
She previously served as aSenator for theCultural and Educational Panel from 2011 to 2014, aTeachta Dála (TD) for theCork South-Central constituency from 1997 to 2002 and 2007 to 2011 andLord Mayor of Cork from 2005 to 2006.[1]
Clune was educated at Ursuline Convent Cork, and went on to graduate fromUniversity College Cork in 1980, with a B.E. in Civil Engineering. She completed a diploma in Management Engineering atTrinity College Dublin in 1983 and returned to UCC in 1996 to complete her HDip in Environmental Engineering.[citation needed]
.jpg)
Clune was first elected toDáil Éireann at the1997 general election succeeding her father,Peter Barry who was retiring. Her grandfatherAnthony Barry had also been a TD, making her a third generation member of the Dáil. In the Dáil, she was appointed Fine Gael front bench spokesperson on Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands in June 2000 and spokesperson on Environmental and Consumer Affairs from February 2001.[2]
She lost her seat at the2002 general election. She also contested the 2002 elections to the22nd Seanad on theIndustrial and Commercial Panel, but was unsuccessful.[3]
She was a member ofCork City Council from 1999 to 2007 and became the 68thLord Mayor of Cork on 27 June 2005.
Clune regained her Dáil seat at the2007 general election. She was appointed deputy spokesperson on Enterprise with special responsibility for Innovation from 2007 to 2010. In July 2010, she was appointed as party spokesperson on Innovation and Research.[4]
She lost her seat at the2011 general election to party colleagueJerry Buttimer.[3] She was subsequently elected toSeanad Éireann on theCultural and Educational Panel in April 2011,[5] where she served as Fine Gael Seanad spokesperson on Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation.
At the2014 European Parliament election, she was elected for theSouth constituency.[6] She was re-elected at the2019 European Parliament election for South but took the fifth and finalBrexit seat, so she did not take her seat until after theUnited Kingdom left theEuropean Union on 31 January 2020.
On 15 November 2023, Clune announced that she would not contest the2024 European Parliament election.[7]
| Civic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Lord Mayor of Cork 2005 | Succeeded by Michael Ahern |
 List of members of theEuropean People's Party group (2019–2024) | |
|---|---|
| Austria | |
| Belgium | |
| Bulgaria | |
| Croatia | |
| Cyprus | |
| Czech Republic | |
| Denmark | |
| Estonia | |
| Finland | |
| France | |
| Germany | |
| Greece | |
| Hungary | |
| Ireland | |
| Italy | |
| Latvia | |
| Lithuania | |
| Luxembourg | |
| Malta | |
| Netherlands | |
| Poland | |
| Portugal | |
| Romania | |
| Slovakia | |
| Slovenia | |
| Spain | |
| Sweden | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| People | |
