For the Australian singer of the same name, see Enda Kenny (singer)

Enda Kenny (Irish: Éanna Ó Cionnaith; born 24 April 1951), an Irish politician, is the 10th leader of the Fine Gael party and Leader of the Opposition in Dáil Éireann. He has been a Teachta Dála for Mayo since 1975, having succeeded his father Henry Kenny. Kenny has previously served as Minister for Tourism and Trade from 1994 to 1997. A Teachta Dála (Irish for Dáil Deputy, pronounced chock-ta dawla) is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Irish Oireachtas or National Parliament. ... The Leader of the Opposition (Ir Ceannaire an Fhreasúra) in the Republic of Ireland is the politician who, at least in theory, leads the Parliamentary Opposition bloc in the lower house of the Irish Parliament, Dáil Éireann. ... Open seat redirects here. ... is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Michael Noonan (Irish: ; born 21 May 1943) is an Irish politician and was Leader of the Opposition and Leader of Fine Gael from February 2001 to June 2002. ... The Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism is the senior minister at the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism (An Roinn Ealaíon Spóirt agus Turasóireachta) in the Irish Government. ... is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Charles Charlie McCreevy, (Irish name: Cathal Mac Riabhaigh; born 30 September 1949) is an Irish politician. ... Dr. Jim McDaid (b. ... is the 114th day of the year (115th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Statistics Province: Connacht County Town: Castlebar Code: MO Area: 5,397 km² Population (2006) 123,648 Website: www. ... Fine Gael – The United Ireland Party, usually referred to as Fine Gael (IPA: , though often anglicised to ; approximate English translation: Family/Tribe of the Irish, is the second largest political party in the Republic of Ireland with a membership of over 34,000, and is the largest opposition party in... is the 114th day of the year (115th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Politics of Ireland (the Republic of Ireland) takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. ... Fine Gael – The United Ireland Party, usually referred to as Fine Gael (IPA: , though often anglicised to ; approximate English translation: Family/Tribe of the Irish, is the second largest political party in the Republic of Ireland with a membership of over 34,000, and is the largest opposition party in... The Leader of the Opposition (Ir Ceannaire an Fhreasúra) in the Republic of Ireland is the politician who, at least in theory, leads the Parliamentary Opposition bloc in the lower house of the Irish Parliament, Dáil Éireann. ... This article is about the current Irish body. ... A Teachta Dála (Irish for Dáil Deputy, pronounced chock-ta dawla) is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Irish Oireachtas or National Parliament. ... The Mayo parliamentary constituency spans the entire area of the county in Connacht, taking in Castlebar, Westport and Ballina. ... Henry Kenny (1913 - 1975) was an Irish Fine Gael politician. ... The Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism is the senior minister at the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism (An Roinn Ealaíon Spóirt agus Turasóireachta) in the Irish Government. ...

Early and private life

Enda Kenny was born in Castlebar, County Mayo in 1951. The third child in a family of five, he was educated locally at St. Patrick's national school in Cornanool and St. Gerald's College (De La Salle) in Castlebar. Kenny later attended St. Patrick's Teacher Training College in Dublin and University College Galway. He later worked as a primary school teacher. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Statistics Province: Connacht County Town: Castlebar Code: MO Area: 5,397 km² Population (2006) 123,648 Website: www. ... A national school is a particular type of primary school in Ireland that is not directly financed or administered by the State. ... Places named La Salle or LaSalle Canada LaSalle, Ontario LaSalle, Quebec, borough of Montreal LaSalle—Émard federal electoral district, Quebec France La Salle, Saône-et-Loire, a commune in the Saône-et-Loire département La Salle, Vosges, a commune in the Vosges département La Salle-de-Vihiers, a commune in... St Patricks College of Education is a linked college of Dublin City University since 1993, located in Drumcondra, Dublin City, Ireland. ... For other uses, see Dublin (disambiguation). ... The National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI, Galway) (Irish Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh or OÉ, Gaillimh) can trace its existence to 1845 as Queens College, Galway and was known until recently as University College, Galway (UCG) (Irish: Coláiste na hOllscoile, Gaillimh or COG). ... For university teachers, see professor. ...

Kenny has been married to Fionnuala O'Kelly since 1992 and the couple have three children. The couple met in Leinster House where O'Kelly worked, ironically, as a press officer for Fianna Fáil. She later worked with Radio Telefís Éireann. Leinster House The former palace of the Duke of Leinster. ... Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Irish: ), commonly referred to as Fianna Fáil (IPA ; traditionally translated by the party into English as Soldiers of Destiny, though the actual meaning is Soldiers [Fianna] of Ireland[1]), is currently the largest political party in Ireland with 55,000 members. ... Radio Telefís Éireann[1] (RTÉ; IPA: ,  ) is the Public Service Broadcaster of the Republic of Ireland. ...

Kenny is also a keen supporter of his native Mayo Gaelic football team. His father, Henry Kenny, won an All-Ireland medal with the inter-county team in 1936. The Mayo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (Irish: Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Maigh Eo) or Mayo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Mayo and the Mayo inter-county football and hurling teams. ... Gaelic Football (Irish: Peil, Peil Gaelach or Caid ), commonly referred to as football, or Gaelic , is a form of football played mainly in Ireland. ... Henry Kenny (1913 - 1975) was an Irish Fine Gael politician. ... The Gaelic Athletic Association The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Bank of Ireland Football Championship) is the premier knockout competition in the game of Gaelic football played in Ireland. ...

Early political career

From an early age Kenny was exposed to politics as his father, Henry Kenny, became a Fine Gael Teachtaí Dála (TD) in 1954. In the early 1970s he became directly involved in politics when he started helping his father with constituency clinics. In 1975 Henry Kenny, who was at this stage a Parliamentary Secretary in the government, died after a short battle with cancer. The Fine Gael party wanted one of his sons to stand as their candidate in the subsequent by-election, and so Enda Kenny was chosen. He was elected by a landslide, and at 24 he was one of the youngest TDs in the Dáil. Fine Gael – The United Ireland Party, usually referred to as Fine Gael (IPA: , though often anglicised to ; approximate English translation: Family/Tribe of the Irish, is the second largest political party in the Republic of Ireland with a membership of over 34,000, and is the largest opposition party in... A Teachta Dála (Irish for Dáil Deputy, pronounced chock-ta dawla) is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Irish Oireachtas or National Parliament. ... A Minister of State, in the Republic of Ireland, is a junior minister of non-cabinet rank, attached to one or more Departments of State of the cabinet. ...

Kenny remained on the backbenches of the Dáil for almost a decade. He was appointed party spokesperson firstly on youth affairs and sport, then western development, however, he failed to build a national profile as he concentrated more on constituency matters. Kenny was left out in the cold when Garret FitzGerald became Taoiseach for the first time in 1981 and again in 1982. He was, however, appointed as a member of the Fine Gael delegation at the New Ireland Forum in 1983 and later served on the British-Irish Parliamentary Association. In 1986 he became a Minister of State at the Departments of Education and Labour, however, his short stay here was regarded as uneventful.^{[citation needed]} Fine Gael lost the 1987 general election resulting in Kenny being on the opposition benches for the next seven years. In spite of this his national profile was raised as he served in a number of positions on the party's front bench, including Education, Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands. He was also the Fine Gael Chief Whip for a short period. Garret FitzGerald (Irish: ; born February 9, 1926) was the seventh Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, serving two terms in office; July 1981 to February 1982, and December 1982 to March 1987. ... The Taoiseach (IPA: , phonetic: TEE-shock — plural: Taoisigh ( or ), also referred to as An Taoiseach [1], is the head of government or prime minister of the Republic of Ireland . ... The New Ireland Forum was established in Ireland in 1983 by then Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald to discuss ways of bringing peace and stability to the whole of Ireland, and the structures and processes through which this might be achieved. ... A Minister of State, in the Republic of Ireland, is a junior minister of non-cabinet rank, attached to one or more Departments of State of the cabinet. ... The Irish general election of 1987 was held on February 17, 1987, four weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on January 20. ... The Opposition Front Bench in the Republic of Ireland is a group of senior parliamentary opposition Teachtaí Dála who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the governments. ... Gaeltacht regions in Ireland Gaeltacht (pronounced ; plural Gaeltachtaí) is an Irish word for an Irish-speaking region. ... The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires. ...

Government Minister

In late 1994 the Fianna Fáil–Labour Party government collapsed; however, no general election was called. Instead a Fine Gael–Labour Party–Democratic Left "Rainbow Coalition" came to power. Kenny, as Fine Gael chief whip, was a key member of the team, which negotiated the programme for government with the other two parties prior to the formation of the new government. Under Taoiseach John Bruton, Kenny joined the cabinet and was appointed Minister for Tourism and Trade. During his tenure as minister, Ireland saw a significant growth in tourism business and in its international trade position. As minister he chaired the European Union Council of Trade Ministers during Ireland's six-month Presidency of the European Council as well as co-chairing a round of the World Trade Organization talks in 1996. Among Kenny's other achievements were the rejuvenation of the St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin and the successful negotiations to bring a stage of the 1998 Tour de France to Ireland. In 1997 the government was defeated in the general election and Kenny returned to the opposition benches. Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Irish: ), commonly referred to as Fianna Fáil (IPA ; traditionally translated by the party into English as Soldiers of Destiny, though the actual meaning is Soldiers [Fianna] of Ireland[1]), is currently the largest political party in Ireland with 55,000 members. ... The Labour Party (Irish: Páirtí an Lucht Oibre) is a Democratic Socialist political party in the Republic of Ireland. ... Fine Gael – The United Ireland Party, usually referred to as Fine Gael (IPA: , though often anglicised to ; approximate English translation: Family/Tribe of the Irish, is the second largest political party in the Republic of Ireland with a membership of over 34,000, and is the largest opposition party in... The Labour Party (Irish: Páirtí an Lucht Oibre) is a Democratic Socialist political party in the Republic of Ireland. ... Democratic Left was a socialist political party active primsrily in the Republic of Ireland, but also in Northern Ireland between 1992 and 1999. ... The Taoiseach (IPA: , phonetic: TEE-shock — plural: Taoisigh ( or ), also referred to as An Taoiseach [1], is the head of government or prime minister of the Republic of Ireland . ... John Gerard Bruton (Irish: ; born 18 May 1947) was the ninth Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland. ... The Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism is the senior minister at the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism (An Roinn Ealaíon Spóirt agus Turasóireachta) in the Irish Government. ... The European Council, sometimes informally called the European Summit, is a meeting of the heads of state or government of the European Union, and the President of the European Commission (not to be confused with the Council of the European Union, or the Council of Europe). ... WTO redirects here. ... St. ... For other uses, see Tour de France (disambiguation). ...

Fine Gael leader

In 2001 John Bruton resigned as leader of Fine Gael following a vote of no confidence in his ability. Kenny was one of a number of candidates who stood in the subsequent leadership election, promising to "electrify the party". In the final ballot it was Michael Noonan who emerged victorious (it is Fine Gael's custom not to publish ballot results for leadership elections). Noonan subsequently failed to give a spokesperson's assignment to Kenny. John Gerard Bruton (Irish: ; born 18 May 1947) was the ninth Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland. ... Michael Noonan (Irish: ; born 21 May 1943) is an Irish politician and was Leader of the Opposition and Leader of Fine Gael from February 2001 to June 2002. ...

In the 2002 general election Fine Gael suffered its worst electoral performance ever, losing 23 seats, a figure larger than expected and with its overall vote down 5%. Kenny himself came close to losing his seat and even went so far as to prepare a concession speech. In the end he won the third seat in the constituency. Michael Noonan resigned as Fine Gael leader on the night of the result, an action which triggered another leadership election. Protest meetings were held by members of the party against the speed with which the leadership election had been called and the failure to broaden the franchise to the membership. It was suggested that it was foolish to choose a leader before conducting an electoral post-mortem. The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday 17 May 2002, just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern. ... The Mayo parliamentary constituency spans the entire area of Mayo County Council in the Connacht county of Mayo. ... The 2002 Fine Gael leadership election began in May 2002, when Michael Noonan resigned as party leader due to the partys poor performance in the 2002 general election. ...

Kenny once again contested the leadership and emerged successful on that occasion. On becoming leader he faced an unenviable task as his demoralised party faced the popular Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, with 31 TDs. In the beginning his leadership style was also criticised. The tide began to turn for Fine Gael in 2003 as the Fianna Fáil-led government's popularity took a downturn. Fine Gael's membership increased and the party became a much more united entity. Kenny's first major televised conference speech in November 2003 was well received by the media and, for many, marked a turn in Fine Gael's fortunes as it began to offer more vigorous opposition to Ahern's government^{[citation needed]}. Bartholomew Bertie Ahern (Irish: ;[1] born 12 September 1951) is an Irish politician who, since 26 June 1997, has served as the tenth Taoiseach of Ireland. ... Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Irish: ), commonly referred to as Fianna Fáil (IPA ; traditionally translated by the party into English as Soldiers of Destiny, though the actual meaning is Soldiers [Fianna] of Ireland[1]), is currently the largest political party in Ireland with 55,000 members. ...

Fine Gael out-performed expectations in the 2004 Local and European elections, which saw Fine Gael increase it representation from 4 MEPs of 15 from Ireland, to 5 from 13. This was the first time Fine Gael beat Fianna Fáil in a national election since 1927. The first stage of Fine Gael's comeback was complete. The European Parliament Election, 2004 was the Republic of Ireland component of the European Parliament Election, 2004. ... A Member of the European Parliament (English abbreviation MEP)[1] is a member of the European Unions directly-elected legislative body, the European Parliament. ...

In 2005, five men from the north of Kenny's Mayo constituency were jailed over their opposition to the Fianna Fail-led government's plans for the Corrib gas project. One of the men, Philip McGrath, worked for Kenny as an election agent for Rossport during general elections. Unlike his fellow Mayo FG TD, Michael Ring, Kenny was cautious about backing the mens' stance (Ring would later be forced to adopt the same policy). The Shell to Sea campaign that was founded to help release the men and get the government to change its mind shut down work on the project for fifteen months. When Gardaí were brought in to violently remove protesters with tactics that saw many hospitalised, Kenny said: "The law must be obeyed."^[1]This insinuates that maintaining law-and-order was far more important to him than the injuries of whoever happened to be protesting. The Rossport Five are James Brendan Philbin, brothers Philip and Vincent McGrath, Willie Corduff and Micheál Ó Seighin. ... The Corrib gas project entails exploiting a natural gas deposit off the northwest coast of Ireland. ... Rossport (in Irish, Ros Dumhach) is a village in County Mayo, Ireland. ... Popular if at times outspoken Fine Gael TD for Mayo. ... A Garda takes hold of a prone Shell to Sea protester by the throat, November 2006 Shell to Sea (in Irish, Shell chun Sáile) is a campaign based in County Mayo, Ireland which successfully opposed the proposed construction of a high-pressure raw gas pipeline through Rossport, and continues... A member of the motorcycle unit of the Garda S na. ...

During that year, Kenny called for the abolishment of Irish for the Leaving Cert. This has been opposed by all the major Irish organisations.[1]

In March 2006 he was elected Vice-President of the European People's Party (EPP), the largest European political family Fine Gael affiliates with.[2] In his speech to the EPP he stated that Fine Gael would be in Government within 2 years. The European Peoples Party (EPP) is the largest transnational European political party. ...

2007 general election

Under Kenny the Fine Gael Party agreed to enter a pre-election pact with the Labour Party in order to offer the electorate an alternative coalition government at the 2007 general election of 24 May 2007. The so-called 'Mullingar Accord' was agreed in September 2004 following the European and Local elections that year.^[2] The Green Party also signalled via the media to be in favour of membership of such a coalition government after the election. They refused to commit to an agreement prior to polling day however. The Labour Party (Irish: Páirtí an Lucht Oibre) is a Democratic Socialist political party in the Republic of Ireland. ... The Irish general election of 2007 took place on 24 May 2007 after the dissolution of the 29th Dáil by the President on 29 April 2007, at the request of the Taoiseach. ... is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... The Green Party (Irish: ; lit. ...

Enda Kenny's leadership has attempted to define Fine Gael as a party of the progressive centre. Its policy initiatives have concentrated on value for money, consumer rights, civil partnerships, reform of public spending, reward and enterprise and preventative health care policy. The party has sought to retake its former mantle as the law-and-order party committed to defending the institutions of the state. At the Fine Gael Ard-fheis in March 2007 Kenny outlined his platform for the forthcoming general election entitled the 'Contract for a Better Ireland.'^[3]The main aspects of this 'contract' included:

• 2,300 more hospital beds
• 2,000 more Gardaí
• Tougher jail sentences and tougher bail for criminals
• Free health insurance for all children under 16
• Lower income tax

The Fine Gael campaign was generally regarded as a well-organised and energetic one, which focussed on Kenny's strengths. The party leader toured every constituency and set the pace early on. However, by the end of the campaign Fianna Fáil found its feet and in the final week managed to turn the spotlight on Enda Kenny's lack of cabinet experience. Some regard this as the single factor which caused a sharp rise in Fianna Fáil support towards the end of the campaign. In particular, Bertie Ahern was perceived by many to have comfortably beaten Kenny in the pre-election Leaders' Debate. Nonetheless, the Fine Gael campaign was its most vibrant since 1982 when the party won 70 seats. Flag of An Garda Síochána Garda Síochána na hÉireann (pronounced ; Irish for Peace Guard of Ireland, often rendered[1] as The Guardians of the Peace of Ireland) is the police force of the Republic of Ireland. ...

When the votes were counted it emerged that Fine Gael had made large gains, increasing its number of seats by twenty to give a total of 51 seats in the new Dáil. But Kenny's so-called 'Alliance for Change' would not have enough seats to form a majority in the new Dáil, as neither the Labour Party nor the Greens made gains. Despite predictions to the contrary, the Fianna Fáil vote recovered sufficiently to bring it to 78 seats, and a return to government for current Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern.^[4]

Kenny has been criticised for having seemingly no charisma and failing to show real leadership.

Kenny is currently the longest-serving TD in Dáil Éireann still in office. Thus, he is the incumbent Father of the Dáil. The First Dáil Éireann consisted of the Sinn Féin MPs who were elected in the Dec 18, 1918 UK General Election. ... In the Republic of Ireland, the term Father of the Dáil is an unofficial title applied to the current member of Dáil Éireann with the longest unbroken period of service, regardless of their position. ...

References

2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 99th day of the year (100th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 99th day of the year (100th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 99th day of the year (100th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 99th day of the year (100th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Enda Kenny's website

Political career