Mattie McGrath | |
|---|---|
.jpg) McGrath in 2022 | |
| Teachta Dála | |
| Assumed office November 2024 | |
| In office May 2007 – February 2016 | |
| Constituency | Tipperary South |
| In office February 2016 – November 2024 | |
| Constituency | Tipperary |
| South Tipperary County Councillor | |
| In office 1999–2007 | |
| In office 1990–1991 | |
| Constituency | Cahir |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Matthew McGrath (1958-09-01)1 September 1958 (age 67) Newcastle,County Tipperary, Ireland |
| Party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | Fianna Fáil (until 2011) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 8 |
| Alma mater | University College Cork |
| Website | mattiemcgrath |
Matthew McGrath (born 1 September 1958) is an Irishindependent politician and aTeachta Dála (TD) for theTipperary South constituency since the2024 general election, and previously from 2007 to 2016. He was a TD for theTipperary constituency from 2016 to 2024.[1][2]
McGrath was first elected as aFianna Fáil TD but he left the party in 2011 before the general election, and has contested elections as an independent candidate since.
McGrath was educated at St. Joseph's College, Cahir; Kildalton Agricultural College,County Kilkenny andUniversity College Cork.
McGrath was a Fianna Fáil member ofSouth Tipperary County Council from 1999 to 2007 and served as chairperson of the council from 2004 to 2005.
McGrath was first elected to the Dáil at the2007 general election as a Fianna Fáil TD forTipperary South.[1][2]
McGrath was found not guilty of the assault of a teenager in south Tipperary following a trial in 2008.[3][4] McGrath made a complaint to the Garda Ombudsman's office in relation to the handling of the investigation.[5]
In October 2009, McGrath criticised the proposal byNoel Dempsey to lower the legal level of alcohol in drivers, claiming that for some people a small amount of alcohol made them less nervous behind the wheel, though he said he didn't condone drunk driving.[6][7] His comments were criticised byRoad Safety Authority chairmanGay Byrne and theAutomobile Association.[6][7]
In June 2010, McGrath accusedMinister for the Environment, Heritage and Local GovernmentJohn Gormley of theGreen Party of bullying Fianna Fáil over the bill to ban stag hunting, which was passed in the Dáil on 29 June 2010. Gormley said the bill was a part of the renewed programme for government and that it was a relatively minor piece of legislation, which should not have taken up so much Dáil time. McGrath voted against the bill and lost the Fianna Fáil parliamentary partywhip as a result.[8] He explained he was independent minded and would not be silenced by anybody.[9] He further qualified his support for the government in September 2010.[10]
On 25 January 2011, McGrath announced that he was leaving the Fianna Fáil party and would contest the2011 general election as anIndependent candidate.[11] He denied that he was cynically resigning from the party in an attempt to save his own Dáil seat, saying that he had run out of "final straws" with Fianna Fáil. He also said that widespread unemployment, pay cuts, negative equity, the recent price hike at health insurerVHI and the recent leadership debacle had forced his hand.[12]
At the election on 25 February, McGrath secured his seat on the fifth count, having polled 14.7 per cent of the first preference vote.[13][14] He was a member of the Rural IndependentsTechnical group in the Dáil.
In 2015, McGrath was accused of plagiarising a speech he gave in the Dáil onISIS from a resolution put forward by American CongressmanJeff Fortenberry. McGrath denied the claims.[15][16]
McGrath was re-elected in the newly formedTipperary constituency in2016, receiving 11,237 first preference votes (14.4%). He was again re-elected in2020, with 9,321 first preference votes (11.4%).
At the2024 general election, McGrath was re-elected to the Dáil. In January 2025 he joined theRegional Independent Group in the Dáil.Ceann Comhairle,Verona Murphy subsequently ruled that four members of the group who supported the coalition government could not avail of opposition speaking rights. McGrath was critical of the decision, describing it as "anti-democratic and totally wrong".[17]
| Elections to theDáil | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Election | FPv | FPv% | Result | ||
| Fianna Fáil | Tipperary South | 2007 | 7,608 | 19.6 | Elected on count 6/8 | |
| Independent | Tipperary South | 2011 | 6,074 | 14.7 | Elected on count 5/5 | |
| Tipperary | 2016 | 11,237 | 14.4 | Elected on count 4/7 | ||
| Tipperary | 2020 | 9,321 | 11.4 | Elected on count 8/9 | ||
| Tipperary South | 2024 | 10,014 | 24.4 | Elected on count 2/6 | ||
McGrath is opposed tosame-sex marriage, and was the only TD to speak against it in theIrish same-sex marriage referendum when it was debated in the Dáil. He said he would “probably” vote No in the referendum to allow same sex couples to marry in 2015.[18]
McGrath is ananti-abortion advocate. He supported the "No" side in the2018 abortion referendum.[19] In November 2018 he supported amendments to the Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Bill which would require pain relief to the foetus during termination, which were subsequently defeated.[20] McGrath has met the Pope in the Vatican on numerous occasions, including one day prior to the2018 visit by Pope Francis to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families.[21] McGrath was highly critical of former President of IrelandMary McAleese prior to the Pope's visit saying "obviously the lady has issues" and that people are "getting sick and tired" of the former president "hogging the airwaves."[22] McAleese had been critical of the Catholic Church in the run up to the Papal visit.
McGrath opposed a minute of silence being held in the Dáil after themurder of George Floyd, saying that it was "none of our business" and calling it "showboating nonsense".[23]
McGrath has attracted criticism from various politicians and from the Auschwitz Museum for his comments on COVID-19 and perceived sensationalist remarks by drawing comparisons between life in Nazi Germany and COVID-19 restrictions in Ireland. McGrath has referred to the pandemic as a "scamdemic"[24] and has opposed public health lockdowns, declaring that "this wouldn't happen under Hitler".[25]
McGrath has said that he will not be receiving aCOVID-19 vaccine.[26] When asked if he had received a COVID-19 vaccination, McGrath refused to answer, replying "My body, my choice" and comparing the vaccine regime to "1930s Nazi Germany".[27]
On 28 April 2021, during theCOVID-19 pandemic, McGrath said in the Dáil that COVID restrictions were returning to “Nazi Hitler's time”.TaoiseachMicheál Martin called the remarks “contemptible and disgraceful” and asked McGrath to withdraw them but McGrath refused.[28] McGrath also accused the Taoiseach of making an "apartheid" decision by not allowing indoor dining, for which the Taoiseach accused him of holding aTrumpian view in denying the existence of the pandemic.[29]
In July 2021, McGrath compared the concept of digital COVID-19 certificates to Germany during Nazi times, and the practice of givingbadges to concentration camp prisoners during the Holocaust, stating "Is that what we have come to now. Are we back to 1933 in Germany? We'll be all tagged in the yellow and themark of the beast will be on us".[30] McGrath was criticised by theAuschwitz Museum for these remarks, with the museum inviting him to read about the Holocaust and describing his remarks as "a sad symptom of moral and intellectual decline".[31] McGrath was also criticised bySocial Democrats TDJennifer Whitmore for his comments.[32] McGrath doubled down and told theIrish Examiner reporterAoife Moore "There are huge correlations, it's exactly the same if you want to study it, exactly the same"; an editorial in the paper called McGrath an "Intolerable idiot".[33][34]
McGrath compared the extension of COVID emergency powers to apartheid on the 5 October 2021. He was criticised by Foreign Affairs MinisterSimon Coveney TD andPaul Murphy TD, with Murphy calling the remarks "non-acceptable".[35]
In October 2020, McGrath made comments at a media briefing, asking where Ireland's Chief Medical OfficerTony Holohan "had been in the last few months", during which Holohan had been caring for his wife Emer, who had terminal cancer and was receiving palliative care. McGrath's remarks were branded as "shameful" by Fine Gael'sCiarán Cannon, who demanded he withdraw and apologise for his remarks. McGrath withdrew these remarks and offered his apologies for them.[36]
In June 2022, McGrath was criticised for saying onToday with Claire Byrne that he would like a cap on the number of refugees.[37] He was criticized byPaul McAuliffe TD, who said "Mattie is trying to pretend that the Government doesn't care about the Irish people. There are women and children in refugee tents in Poland. We are not prepared to leave people there."[37]SenatorGarret Ahearn condemned "the reckless comments by Mattie McGrath" and said they were a disgrace.[37]
In December 2022, McGrath was accused of spreading far-right rhetoric in the Dáil by TánaisteMicheál Martin. Martin claimed that "far-right ideologues" were influencing groups in the Dáil and that McGrath "had a script" prepared for him that alluded to conspiracy theories such as"the Great Reset".[38][39]
On 29 November 2023, in the aftermath of a riot the previous week,Paul Murphy criticised other TDs for laundering far-right conspiracy theories.[40] Mattie McGrath was specifically named.[40]
On 9 May 2024 during a debate on special education McGrath said there "must be a need for understanding the explosion of autism".[41][42] He claimed that his brother, who had worked as a paediatrician in Africa in the 1990s had not heard the word until he returned to Ireland.[41][42] Adam Harris, of the autism advocacy groupAsIAm said on X:"Is it any wonder the stigma that Autistic people suffer when such dangerous misinformation is spouted in the Dáil? Never mind explaining the right language or facts but dog whistling to conspiracy theorists at Autistic people's expense is below the belt".[41][42]
SenatorMartin Conway said on X:"For the record, @mattiemcgrathtd, you did not see children with difference in school because they were not allowed to attend or be part of society," and added "People like me were sent to school in Dublin hidden away, people like Adam sent to institutions. We all existed but were locked out".[41][42]Anne Rabbitte said she was"really disappointed to hear any Deputy use their Dáil time to spout such language. It is actually dangerous and needs to be called out".[41][42]