Gino Kenny | |
|---|---|
 Kenny in 2016 | |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office February 2016 – November 2024 | |
| Constituency | Dublin Mid-West |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Eugene Kenny[1] (1972-06-25)25 June 1972 (age 53) Clondalkin,Dublin, Ireland |
| Political party | People Before Profit–Solidarity |
Eugene "Gino" Kenny (born 25 June 1972) is an IrishPeople Before Profit–Solidarity politician who was aTeachta Dála (TD) for theDublin Mid-West constituency from2016 to2024.[2][3][4]
He moved toNeilstown in 1979, where he lives with his partner.[5][6] Before entering politics he worked as a carer for the elderly in several hospitals, having acquired a Masters' in public health studies.[7]
Kenny joined theSocialist Workers Party in 1994; a 2001 article inThe Echo noted his involvement inanti-globalisation protests at the27th G8 summit in Italy.[8]
During the 2000s, Kenny was the spokesperson for the Mast Action Clondalkin group, campaigning for the removal of a phone mast in Ronanstown.[9][10] He unsuccessfully contested the2004 elections toSouth Dublin County Council in the Clondalkin local area for the Socialist Workers Party,[11] but was elected in2009 forPeople Before Profit, remaining on the council until his election as a TD in 2016. During his election campaign in 2009, he was ordered to pay compensation after being caught spraying "Israel wanted for murder" on the Mill Shopping Centre complex in Clondalkin.[12]
While a member of South Dublin County Council, Kenny was involved in a campaign supporting workers from waste company Greyhound, who had been in an industrial dispute over pay cuts;[13] in 2014 Kenny had an injunction taken against him by Greyhound, preventing him from obstructing bin collections.[14]
He was elected toDáil Éireann on his third attempt inFebruary 2016,[15] becoming the first person from Neilstown to be elected to the Dáil.[16] He had previously contested the general elections of2007 and2011, finishing ahead of sitting TDPaul Gogarty in the latter.
After being elected to the Dáil in 2016, he put forward a Private Member's Bill to legalise the medicinal use ofcannabis.[7] After this bill was rejected when an Oireachtas Committee described it as having "too many flaws", he called the Dáil a "kip."[17]
In May 2018 he accused Minister of State for DefencePaul Kehoe of having "blood on his hands" after the government purchased 4unmanned aerial vehicles from an Israeli manufacturer. Kenny suggested it was immoral for the Irish state to purchase military equipment from Israel because of questions over itscivil rights record. Kehoe responded by saying the purchased UAVs had no offensive capacity and that the manufacturer had won the bid on the contract, and said that bids were open to any company not sanctioned or barred by theEU,UN orOSCE.[18]
After looking set to lose his seat at the2020 general election and having conceded prematurely, Kenny retained it by unseatingJohn Curran ofFianna Fáil, in whatRTÉ described as his "resurrection" and "one of the stories of this election".[19]
In October 2020, Kenny sponsored a "Dying with Dignity" bill in the Dáil that proposed legalisingassisted suicide in Ireland, an area he has been campaigning on for some time. It passed 81 votes to 71 following the government allowing afree vote on the matter. Following the vote, the Bill has moved to thecommittee stage.[20][21]
In November 2022, Kenny introduced a bill in the Dáil that would legalise cannabis for personal use and possession of up to seven grams of cannabis.[22]
Kenny lost his seat at the2024 general election.[4]