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Noel Dempsey, TD
Minister for Transport & the Marine
Incumbent
Assumed office  June 14, 2007
Preceded by	Martin Cullen
Minister for Communications, Marine & Natural Resources
In office September 29, 2004 – June 14, 2007
Preceded by	Dermot Ahern
Succeeded by	Eamon Ryan
Minister for Education & Science
In office June 6, 2002 – September 29, 2004
Preceded by	Michael Woods
Succeeded by	Mary Hanafin
Minister for the Environment & Local Government
In office June 26, 1997 – June 6, 2002
Preceded by	Brendan Howlin
Succeeded by	Martin Cullen
Born	6 January 1953 (1953-01-06) (age 54) Trim County Meath Ireland
Nationality	Irish
Political party	Fianna Fáil
Religion	Roman Catholic

Noel Dempsey (Irish: Nollaig Ó Díomasaigh; born 6 January 1953) is a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He is currently a Teachta Dála (TD) for Meath West and Minister for Transport & the Marine. Dempsey has previously served as Minister for the Environment and Local Government (1997–2002), Minister for Education & Science (2002–2004) and Minister for Communications, Marine & Natural Resources (2004–2007). Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... If you hold the copyright to an image (e. ... The Minister for Transport and the Marine (Irish: ) is the senior minister at the Department of Transport and the Marine in the Irish Government. ... For the ecclesiastical office, see Incumbent (ecclesiastical). ... is the 165th day of the year (166th 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. ... Martin Cullen (born 2 November 1954) is a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician. ... The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources is the senior minister at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (An Roinn Cumarsáide, Mara agus Achmhainní Nádúrtha) in the Irish Government. ... is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 165th day of the year (166th 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. ... Dermot Ahern (born 2 February 1955) is a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician who currently serves as the Minister for Foreign Affairs. ... Eamon Ryan is an Irish Green Party politician. ... The Minister for Education and Science is the senior minister at the Department of Education and Science (An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta) in the Irish Government. ... is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dr. Michael Woods (born December 8, 1935) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and is currently a Teachta Dála for Dublin North East. ... Mary Hanafin (Irish: ; born 1 June 1959) is an Irish politician. ... The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is the senior minister at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Irish: ) in the Irish Government. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Brendan Howlin (born 1956) is an Irish Labour Party politician. ... Martin Cullen (born 2 November 1954) is a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician. ... is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The word trim can mean: Adjustment of sails on a ship or boat. ... Statistics Province: Leinster County Town: Navan Code: MH Area: 2,342 km² Population (2006) 162,831 Website: www. ... 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 Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. ... 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 Meath West parliamentary constituency was created by the 2004 Constituency Commission Report on Dáil Constituencies and will come into being in the 30th Irish general election. ... The Minister for Transport and the Marine (Irish: ) is the senior minister at the Department of Transport and the Marine in the Irish Government. ...

Early & private life

Noel Dempsey was born in Trim, County Meath in 1953. He was educated locally at Scoil Naomh Brid in Boardsmill and St. Michael’s CBS in Trim. Dempsey later attended University College Dublin where he was conferred with a Bachelor of Arts degree as well as a diploma in career guidance. He subsequently completed his HDip in Education at St. Patrick’s College in Maynooth and worked as a career guidance teacher for many years. WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Irish Grid Reference N800567 Statistics Province: Leinster County: Elevation: 61 m (200 ft) Population (2006) 6,870  Trim Castle (de Lacys Castle) Trim (Irish: ) is the traditional county town of County Meath in Ireland, although the county town is now Navan. ... Statistics Province: Leinster County Town: Navan Code: MH Area: 2,342 km² Population (2006) 162,831 Website: www. ... Note: This page needs to be cleaned up to be brought into conformance with the Manual of Style. ... University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin - more commonly University College Dublin (UCD) - is Irelands largest university, with over 20,000 students. ... A B.A. issued from the University of Tennessee. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ...

Dempsey is married to Patricia Rattigan and they have four children – two boys and two girls. He is also a member of the Gaelic Athletic Association and is a keen supporter of the Meath Gaelic football team as well as his local club teams. He has also been a member of Macra na Feirme and Muintir na Tíre. For other uses, see GAA (disambiguation). ... The Meath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) (Irish: Cummann Luthchleas Gael Coiste An Mhí) or Meath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Meath. ... Gaelic Football (Irish: Peil, Peil Gaelach or Caid ), commonly referred to as football, or Gaelic , is a form of football played mainly in Ireland. ... Muintir na Tíre is a national Irish voluntary organisation dedicated to promoting the process of community development. ...

Early political career

Dempsey first became involved in politics in the early 1970s when he joined Ógra Fianna Fáil, the youth wing of the Fianna Fáil political party. He later attended and spoke at the first ever national conference of Ógra. Within three years of this Dempsey was co-opted onto Meath County Council as a Fianna Fáil councillor in 1977. At the time he was the youngest ever member of that authority and he later served as the youngest ever chairman of the council in 1986. Dempsey enhanced his local political profile at this time by also serving as a member of Trim Urban District Council. History Ógra Fianna Fáil is the Youth wing of Irelands largest political party, Fianna Fáil - The Republican Party. ... 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. ... Statistics Province: Leinster County Town: Navan Code: MH Area: 2,342 km² Population (2006) 162,621 Website: www. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ...

Dempsey was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1987 general election as a Fianna Fáil TD for Meath. Shortly after being elected he became a member of the Public Accounts Committee, one of the most high-profile committees in the Dáil. Dempsey was initially a supporter of the Fianna Fáil leader Charles Haughey, however, he became disillusioned with his leadership when he led Fianna Fáil into coalition with the Progressive Democrats following the 1989 general election. He was one of a number of TDs who were vehemently opposed to such a move. As a result of this Dempsey remained on the backbenches. This article is about the current Irish body. ... The Irish general election of 1987 was held on February 17, 1987, four weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on January 20. ... The Meath parliamentary constituency spans the entire area of the county of Meath in Leinster, Ireland, taking in Navan, Trim and Ashbourne. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Progressive Democrats (Irish An Páirtí Daonlathach, lit. ... The Irish general election of 1989 was held on Friday, June 15, 1989, three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on May 25. ...

In September 1991 Dempsey was a key member of the so-called "gang of four" which proposed a motion of no confidence in Charles Haughey as the leader of the party. The other members of the group were Seán Power, Liam Fitzgerald and M.J. Nolan. Dempsey supported Albert Reynolds in his unsuccessful bid to oust Haughey on that occasion. In 1992 Reynolds eventually became party leader and Taoiseach and Dempsey’s loyalty was rewarded by being appointed Minister of State with responsibility as government chief whip. He also took charge of the Office of Public Works. He served in these positions until the resignation of Reynolds as Taoiseach and the collapse of the Fianna Fáil-Labour Party in 1994. Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... A motion of no confidence, also called a motion of non-confidence, a censure motion, a no-confidence motion, or simply a confidence motion, is a parliamentary motion traditionally put before a parliament by the opposition in the hope of defeating or embarrassing a government. ... Seán Power (born October 14, 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. ... Liam Fitzgerald (born September, 1949) is an Irish politician and member of the 22nd Seanad Éireann for Fianna Fáil. ... M.J. Nolan (born January 25, 1951) is an Irish politician. ... Albert Reynolds (born November 3, 1932), was the eighth Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, serving one term in office from 1992 until 1994. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... The Taoiseach (IPA: or ) — plural: Taoisigh ( or ), also referred to as An Taoiseach[1], is the head of government of Ireland or prime minister. ... 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 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. ... The Office of Public Works (OPW) is responsible for Irish Government and historic buildings in the Republic of Ireland. ... The Labour Party (Irish: Páirtí an Lucht Oibre) is a social democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. ... 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. ...

In December 1994 Bertie Ahern became leader of Fianna Fáil as the party moved into opposition. Dempsey was appointed to the front bench as spokesperson on the Environment and Local Government. During this period in opposition he was heavily involved in key election strategies, most notably in the Dublin West by-election which saw Brian Lenihan, Jnr being elected. It was Fianna Fáil’s first by-election victory since 1985. The Opposition Front Bench is a group of senior opposition TDs in Dáil Éireann who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the governments, whose members mark each individual member of the government. ... Dublin West is a constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. ... See also his father, Brian Lenihan Snr Brian Lenihan Jnr. ... This article is about the year. ...

Cabinet career: 1997–present

Minister for the Environment & Local Government

Following the 1997 general election Dempsey was a key player in helping to negotiate a programme for government between Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats. When Bertie Ahern became Taoiseach Dempsey was appointed to the position of Minister for the Environment & Local Government. His tenure as minister has been described as one of reform and modernisation, with Frank McDonald of The Irish Times even describing Dempsey as the best holder of the environment portfolio since the position was created. The Irish general election of 1997 was held on Friday, June 6, 1997. ... The Progressive Democrats (Irish An Páirtí Daonlathach, lit. ... The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is the senior minister at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Irish: ) in the Irish Government. ... It has been suggested that Irish Times Trust be merged into this article or section. ...

Some of Dempsey’s major achievements as minister include the introduction of the Local Government Act 2000 which was seen as the most comprehensive reform of local government in Ireland for over a century. One of his best known initiatives was the introduction of a levy on plastic shopping bags, leading to a reduction in the usage of these bags and a serious decrease in the litter problem related to these plastic bags. Dempsey also proposed to end the ‘dual mandate’ whereby a person can serve as a county councillor and a TD at the same time. This proposal, however, led to severe opposition from the Independent TDs who supported the government at the time and had to be deferred. The legislation eventually became law in 2003. Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

During his tenure as minister Dempsey continued to serve as the Fianna Fáil director of elections. His first major success was the election of Mary McAleese to the position of President of Ireland in 1997. Two years later in 1999 he presided over the most successful local election campaign for the party ever. Mary Patricia McAleese (Irish: [1]; born 27 June 1951) is the eighth, and current, President of Ireland. ... -1... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... This article is about the year. ...

Minister for Education & Science

Following the re-election of the government in 2002 Dempsey became Minister for Education & Science. He took over as minister at a time when one of the teachers unions was extremely dissatisfied with a number of pay issues. These issues were eventually resolved in 2002 shortly after taking office. As Minister for Education, Dempsey was forced into an embarrassing climb down in 2004 on his proposal to re-introduce third-level fees. The move was opposed by the Union of Students in Ireland and by the Progressive Democrats. [1] Also see: 2002 (number). ... The Minister for Education and Science is the senior minister at the Department of Education and Science (An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta) in the Irish Government. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Progressive Democrats (Irish An Páirtí Daonlathach, lit. ...

Minister for Communications, Marine & Natural Resources

Following a cabinet reshuffle in September 2004 Dempsey was appointed Minister for Communications, Marine & Natural Resources. During his tenure he oversaw the controversial Corrib gas project. After agreeing to have an independent assessment of the raw gas pipeline planned for Erris, Dempsey employed a firm to carry it out. Only after the report was concluded did it emerge that the firm was half owned by Royal Dutch Shell, a fact which they neglected to relate to the minister. An embarrassed Dempsey was forced to hastily commission another report. His failure to facilitate agreement between Shell and Shell to Sea resulted in the first Garda baton-charge of a peaceful protest since independence. Protests at Bellinaboy continue to the present day. In the parliamentary system a cabinet shuffle is an informal term for an event that occurs when a Head of State or Head of Government rotates or changes the composition of ministers in his or her United States it would very unusual for a president to reassign all the cabinet... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources is the senior minister at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (An Roinn Cumarsáide, Mara agus Achmhainní Nádúrtha) in the Irish Government. ... The Corrib gas project entails exploiting a natural gas deposit off the northwest coast of Ireland. ... This article is about the fossil fuel. ... Erris is a barony in northwestern County Mayo in Ireland. ... Royal Dutch Shell plc is a multinational oil company of British and Dutch origins. ... 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. ...

Coming to the end of his tenure at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and before the reshuffle after the General Election in May 2007 his department persued the resurrection of Digital Terrestrial Television following its failure to be established under the Broadcasting Act 2001 due to unfavourable economic conditions for venture capital around the DTT market in many countries in 2001. First his department invited tenders to build and programme a DTT trial in Dublin and Louth. The failure seemed to lay around a commercial network builder model and the difficulties in creating revenue generation return for such investment and the solution seems to be the involvement of broadcasters in building the networks. An amended piece of legislation amended this model towards a multiple ultiplex operator model and resulted resulted in the Broadcasting (Amendment) Act 2007 (No.15 of 2007). A similar model has been successful during the intervening years in the UK and Spain. This is an Act of the Republic of Ireland Parliament (in Irish called the Oireachtas-(consisting of the Chamber of Deputies or Daíl and Senate or Seanad) not to be confused with British broadcasting Acts and concern Irish Analogue broadcasting systems and establishment of Digital Terrestrial Television by the...

To that end his department also established a DTT trial in August 2006 to run for 2 years around Three Rock, Dublin transmitter and Claremont Carn, in County Louth. [2] For more see: Digital terrestrial television in Ireland. The deployment of digital terrestrial television in Ireland has had a chequered history, with the first tests being carried out in 1998, but no public trials until August 2006. ...

Minister for Transport & the Marine

Following the 2007 general election Dempsey was appointed to his current position of Minister for Transport & the Marine. 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. ... The Minister for Transport and the Marine (Irish: ) is the senior minister at the Department of Transport and the Marine in the Irish Government. ...

The future

In early 2003 Dempsey revealed his political ambition when he announced that should the position become available he would seek the leadership of the Fianna Fáil party and the position of Taoiseach. The Taoiseach (IPA: or ) — plural: Taoisigh ( or ), also referred to as An Taoiseach[1], is the head of government of Ireland or prime minister. ...

Political career

The Oireachtas is the National Parliament of the Republic of Ireland. ... James (Jim) Fitzsimons (born 16 December 1936) is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. ... 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. ... 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. ... 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 Meath parliamentary constituency spans the entire area of the county of Meath in Leinster, Ireland, taking in Navan, Trim and Ashbourne. ... The Irish general election of 1987 was held on February 17, 1987, four weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on January 20. ... 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. ... 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. ... 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 Meath West parliamentary constituency was created by the 2004 Constituency Commission Report on Dáil Constituencies and will come into being in the 30th Irish general election. ... 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. ... Dermot Ahern (born 2 February 1955) is a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician who currently serves as the Minister for Foreign Affairs. ... The Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach is essentially the Irish Government Chief Whip and is the most senior Minister of State. ... Seán Barrett (born August 9, 1944), is an Irish politician. ... The Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach is essentially the Irish Government Chief Whip and is the most senior Minister of State. ... Noel Treacy (Irish: ; born December 18, 1951), is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. ... The Minister of State at the Department of Finance is a junior ministerial post in the Irish Department of Finance. ... Phil Hogan is an Irish Fine Gael politician. ... Brendan Howlin (born 1956) is an Irish Labour Party politician. ... The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is the senior minister at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Irish: ) in the Irish Government. ... Martin Cullen (born 2 November 1954) is a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician. ... Dr. Michael Woods (born December 8, 1935) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and is currently a Teachta Dála for Dublin North East. ... The Minister for Education and Science is the senior minister at the Department of Education and Science (An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta) in the Irish Government. ... Mary Hanafin (Irish: ; born 1 June 1959) is an Irish politician. ... Dermot Ahern (born 2 February 1955) is a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician who currently serves as the Minister for Foreign Affairs. ... The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources is the senior minister at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (An Roinn Cumarsáide, Mara agus Achmhainní Nádúrtha) in the Irish Government. ... Eamon Ryan is an Irish Green Party politician. ... Martin Cullen (born 2 November 1954) is a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician. ... The Minister for Transport and the Marine (Irish: ) is the senior minister at the Department of Transport and the Marine in the Irish Government. ...

External links

• Noel Dempsey TD