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Neale Richmond

Neale Richmond
TD
Richmond in 2017
Minister of State
2024–Finance
2023–2024Enterprise, Trade and Employment
2023–2024Social Protection
Teachta Dála
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 2020
ConstituencyDublin Rathdown
Senator
In office
8 June 2016 – 8 February 2020
ConstituencyLabour Panel
Personal details
Born (1983-03-15) 15 March 1983 (age 41)
Ballinteer, Dublin, Ireland
Political partyFine Gael
Spouse
Babs Richmond
​
(m. 2015)​
Children2
EducationWesley College
Alma materUniversity College Dublin

Neale Richmond (born 15 March 1983) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister of State since 2023. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Rathdown constituency since the 2020 general election. He previously served as a Senator for the Labour Panel from 2016 to 2020.[1]

Early life

A native of Ballinteer, Dublin, Richmond was educated at Taney Parish Primary School and Wesley College, before graduating from University College Dublin (UCD), with a BA in history in 2004 and an MA in political science in 2005.[2] He lives in Stepaside with his wife and family. His older brother Graham Richmond is a member of Wicklow County Council.[3] Richmond is a member of the Church of Ireland.[4]

Political career

While studying in UCD, Richmond was chair of the UCD branch of Young Fine Gael.[2] After leaving college, he began working for Gay Mitchell in the European Parliament.[5]

He was elected to Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council in 2009 to represent the Glencullen–Sandyford local electoral area.[6] Richmond was re-elected to the Council in 2014 on the first count.[7] Following his re-election to the council, he was appointed by the Taoiseach as one of Ireland's nine delegates to the European Committee of the Regions.

From 2011 to 2016, Richmond served as the parliamentary assistant to Olivia Mitchell. After announcing that she would retire at the 2016 general election, Mitchell backed Richmond to run in Dublin Rathdown in her place,[8][9] and he was seen as the favourite to be selected for Fine Gael, but Josepha Madigan and Alan Shatter defeated him in the selection convention.[10]

He was elected to Seanad Éireann in 2016 for the Labour Panel.[11] He was appointed Chair of the Seanad Select Committee on the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union on 23 February 2017.[12]

Following the 2020 general election, Richmond was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fine Gael TD for the Dublin Rathdown constituency, taking the second seat in the three-seat constituency behind Catherine Martin and ahead of party colleague Josepha Madigan.

On 13 January 2023, Richmond was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection following the resignation of Damien English.[13]

On 10 April 2024, Richmond was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Finance following the appointment of Simon Harris as Taoiseach.[14]

Political views

Richmond is a strong advocate of the European Union and Ireland's interests in it. He is an outspoken critic of Brexit. Richmond has expressed his opposition to Irish neutrality, describing it as "morally degenerate".[15] He was a columnist at Slugger O'Toole.[16]

Richmond stated his initial disinterest in, but ultimate support for, the issue of same-sex marriage.[17] He supported the referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment.[18]

Richmond is a vocal proponent of a United Ireland. He has been a prominent supporter of the Ireland's Future campaign for a United Ireland, speaking at multiple events in Ireland and the UK[19] He produced a paper entitled “Towards a New Ireland” advocating for a United Ireland and how it could be achieved, which he delivered at the University of Cambridge in April 2021.[20][21]

In 2022, Richmond called for the Government of Ireland to prepare for a border poll on Irish unity, including the establishment of an all-party special Oireachtas committee to address associated challenges and opportunities.[22][23][24][25] Richmond has stated that the debate on Irish unity must transition from "aspirational to achievable", in order to “clearly map out what our vision for a new State would look like.” [26]

He has been strongly critical of Sinn Féin and the Provisional IRA.[27] He is in favour of the Republic of Ireland rejoining the Commonwealth in the context of a United Ireland.[28]

Richmond wears the Irish branch of the Royal British Legion's "shamrock remembrance poppy"[29] to commemorate 200,000 Irish soldiers who fought and 35,000 Irish soldiers who died in World War I.[30][31] Richmond has stated that he believes the Easter lily "has become offensive".[32] Richmond has attended July 12th celebrations marking the Battle of the Boyne and has had meetings with the Orange Order, which his grandfather was a member of.[33][34]

References

  1. ^ "Neale Richmond". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Dublin Rathdown TD Criticises UCD Response to Ukraine Crisis". collegetribune.ie. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  3. ^ "Wicklow teacher officially selected as Fine Gael local elections candidate". Irish Independent. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  4. ^ "In defence of grants: Protestant perspectives on schooling". The Irish Times. 23 October 2013. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  5. ^ Spain, Sinead (14 January 2023). "Profile: 'Political natural' Richmond has solid Fine Gael pedigree". RTÉ.
  6. ^ "Neale Richmond". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Local Elections: 23 May 2014 Glencullen Sandyford". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 11 November 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  8. ^ "Olivia Mitchell opts out, leaving Shatter problem for Fine Gael". Independent.ie. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  9. ^ Kennedy, Aisling (3 September 2015). "Mitchell to exit but will not leave stage". Dublin Gazette Newspapers - Dublin News, Sport and Lifestyle. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Shatter narrowly wins a place on Fine Gael election ticket". Independent.ie. 3 October 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Seanad Vote Counting Resumes". RTÉ News. 28 April 2016. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  12. ^ "Richmond to Chair Seanad Brexit Committee". Fine Gael Party. November 2018. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  13. ^ "Neale Richmond to replace English as junior minister". RTÉ News. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Dillon, Higgins and Burke appointed as junior ministers". RTÉ News. 10 April 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Ukraine: Ireland's military neutrality sparks public debate". BBC News. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  16. ^ "Author Archive - Neale Richmond". Slugger O'Toole. Archived from the original on 16 May 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  17. ^ Richmond, Neale (5 February 2015). "Opinion: Same-sex marriage will be decided by the silent (possibly disinterested) majority". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 12 September 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  18. ^ @nealerichmond (18 May 2018). "A quick message for "the lads" with one week to go to polling day #repealthe8th #TogetherForYes #VoteYes" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ "Dublin to host third public meeting in the Ireland's Future all island series". Ireland’s Future. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Towards a New Ireland" (PDF). Fine Gael. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Unionists could remain British citizens for generations in united Ireland". The Times. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  22. ^ "Fine Gael TD Neale Richmond calls for Dublin government to plan for border poll". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  23. ^ "Platform - Neale Richmond Fine Gael TD: A united Ireland "makes sense" for both the economy and its people". The Irish News. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  24. ^ "Ireland needs to prepare for a border poll 'in the next decade' - Richmond". Newstalk. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  25. ^ "Fine Gael TD says government should establish Irish unity committee". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  26. ^ "Time to map out clear vision for United Ireland, TD says". BreakingNews.ie. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  27. ^ Richmond, Neale (13 April 2018). "The Floating Voter: Fine Gael Senator admits he'd rather quit the party than serve with Sinn Fein". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 12 September 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  28. ^ "FG's Richmond says a Commonwealth return would represent an olive branch to unionists". Business Post. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  29. ^ Brophy, Daragh (7 November 2017). "Leo Varadkar was wearing a 'shamrock poppy' in the Dáil today". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  30. ^ "Leo Varadkar wears controversial shamrock poppy to honor Ireland's WWI dead". 8 November 2017. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  31. ^ "Irish PM wears 'shamrock poppy'". BBC News. 8 November 2017. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  32. ^ @nealerichmond (3 November 2017). "@FraserStephen @NoelRock @GerryAdamsSF @PoppyLegion I thought it was an apt response. I find what the Easter Lily h…" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2017 – via Twitter.
  33. ^ "Online sparring and taking on Daniel Kinahan all in a day's work for combative TD". 4 April 2021. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021.
  34. ^ "Cabinet Committees – Wednesday, 2 Feb 2022 – Parliamentary Questions (33rd Dáil) – Houses of the Oireachtas".
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
2023–2024
With: Dara Calleary (2022–present) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of State at the Department of Finance
2024–present 		Incumbent
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