Liadh Ní Riada | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ní Riada in 2017 | |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 1 July 2014 – 1 July 2019 | |
| Constituency | South |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1966-11-28)28 November 1966 (age 59) Dublin, Ireland |
| Party | Independent (since 2024) Sinn Féin (until 2024) |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent |
|
| Alma mater | |
| Website | liadhniriada |
Liadh Ní Riada (pronounced[ˈl̠ʲiən̠ʲiːˈɾˠiəd̪ˠə]; born 28 November 1966) is an Irish cultural activist and formerSinn Féin politician who served as aMember of the European Parliament (MEP) for theSouth constituency from 2014 to 2019. She was the Sinn Féin candidate in the2018 presidential election.[1][2] As of December 2024[update], Ní Riada is director of acultural centre inBallyvourney, County Cork.[3]
She left Sinn Féin some time after her failed presidential election campaign and became anindependent. She unsuccessfully contested the 2025 Seanad election as an independent candidate.[4]
Ní Riada is a former television producer and director and she served on the board tasked with setting upTG4, theIrish-language television channel. She has directed and produced several documentaries, and ran her own production company for several years. Ní Riada has described herself as passionate about heritage and culture, and she has been a vocal advocate for Irishlanguage rights.
In July 2020, Comharchumann Forbartha Mhúscraí, aBallingeary-basedcommunity development co-operative for theMuskerry Gaeltacht, appointed Ní Riada as language planning officer, to encourage use of Irish in the area.[5][6][7][8] In December 2020 she was nominated by Sinn Féin to the board ofForas na Gaeilge.[7] In February 2022 she became director of Ionad Cultúrtha an Dochtúir Ó Loingsigh, a cultural centre in Ballyvourney.[7]
Ní Riada's involvement in politics began in 2011[9] when she joined Sinn Féin as the party's national Irish language officer, having been inspired by her first husband Fiachra to get involved in politics.[10] Three years later, in 2014, Ní Riada was selected as the Sinn Féin candidate for theSouth constituency for the2014 European Parliament elections.
Ní Riada ran her 2014 campaign for theEuropean Parliament on an anti-austerity message, calling for job creation and an end to forced emigration fromIreland. During the campaign, she also raised awareness of the increase inchild poverty in Ireland, and the need for rural regeneration. She secured 125,309 first preference votes, the second highest of all MEPs in Ireland, and was elected on the fourth count with 132,590 votes.[11]
As an MEP, Ní Riada sat on threeCommittees of the European Parliament:Budgets,Culture and Education, andFisheries.
She was a coordinator for theEuropean United Left–Nordic Green Left group on the Budgets Committee.
On the committee on Culture and Education, Ní Riada has highlighted what she called the "language discrimination" in the EU. Through this committee, she has highlighted what she called the "hardships" many artists have to go through to earn a living. Since 2017 Ní Riada has been a member of the Culture and EducationsBrexit monitoring group.
On the Fisheries Committee, she has called for a "fairer deal" for Irish fishermen. Ní Riada has been critical of the EU'sCommon Fisheries Policy, saying that she believes Irish fisheries have not received their fair share of the fishing quota. Ní Riada has also campaigned for measures to reduceplastic pollution, particularly in the oceans.[12]
On 16 September 2018, Ní Riada was selected by Sinn Féin to contest that year'sIrish presidential election.[1] The party, in deciding to challenge incumbentMichael D. Higgins, said there was "an appetite for political and social change" in Ireland.[13]
Ní Riada's campaign focused on the Irish language, aunited Ireland, and social justice.[9] She called for the presidential salary to be cut in half and said that she would only serve a single presidential term if elected.[14] During the campaign she stated she would wear aremembrance poppy to commemorate the war dead of theFirst World War.[15]
Ni Ríada received 6.38% of first preference votes in the election, which was held on 26 October 2018.
Ní Riada lost her European Parliament seat at the2019 European election. In March 2021 Sinn Féin selected her to contestCork North-West at the next Dáil election (whichwas held in 2024) but in 2023 she announced that she was leaving politics.[16] However, Foras na Gaeilge nominated her to contest theCultural and Educational Panel in the2025 Seanad election.[3] She ran as anindependent[3] and was unsuccessful;Pauline Tully of Sinn Féin was among the five elected.[17]
