Neale Richmond
TD
Minister of State
2023–Enterprise, Trade and Employment
2023–Social Protection
Teachta Dála
Assumed office
February 2020
ConstituencyDublin Rathdown
Senator
In office
4 April 2016 – 10 February 2020
ConstituencyLabour Panel
Personal details
Born (1983-03-15) 15 March 1983
Ballinteer, Dublin, Ireland
Political partyFine Gael
SpouseBabs 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]

Education

A native of Ballinteer, Richmond was educated at Taney Parish Primary School and Wesley College, before graduating from University College Dublin, 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. He is a member of the Church of Ireland.[3]

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.[4]

He was elected to Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council in 2009 to represent the Glencullen–Sandyford local electoral area.[5] Richmond was re-elected to the Council in 2014 on the first count.[6] 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,[7][8] 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.[9]

He was elected to Seanad Éireann in 2016 for the Labour Panel.[10] 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.[11]

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, he 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.[12]

Political views

Richmond is a strong advocate of the European Union and Ireland's interests in it. He is an outspoken critic of Brexit. He was a columnist at Slugger O'Toole.[13] Richmond has expressed his opposition to Irish neutrality, describing it as "morally degenerate".[14]

He stated his initial disinterest in, but ultimate support for, the issue of same-sex marriage.[15] Richmond supported the referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment.[16]

He has been strongly critical of Sinn Féin and the Provisional IRA.[17] He is in favour of the Republic of Ireland rejoining the Commonwealth in the context of a United Ireland.[18]

Richmond wears the Irish branch of the Royal British Legion's "shamrock remembrance poppy"[19] to commemorate 200,000 Irish soldiers who fought and 35,000 Irish soldiers who died in World War I.[20][21] Richmond has stated that he believes the Easter lily "has become offensive".[22] 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.[23][24]

References

  1. ↑ "Neale Richmond". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Dublin Rathdown TD Criticises UCD Response to Ukraine Crisis". collegetribune.ie. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  3. ↑ "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.
  4. ↑ Spain, Sinead (14 January 2023). "Profile: 'Political natural' Richmond has solid Fine Gael pedigree". RTÉ.
  5. ↑ "Neale Richmond". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  6. ↑ "Local Elections: 23 May 2014 Glencullen Sandyford". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 11 November 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  7. ↑ "Olivia Mitchell opts out, leaving Shatter problem for Fine Gael". Independent.ie. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ "Shatter narrowly wins a place on Fine Gael election ticket". Independent.ie. 3 October 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  10. ↑ "Seanad Vote Counting Resumes". RTÉ News. 28 April 2016. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  11. ↑ "Richmond to Chair Seanad Brexit Committee". Fine Gael Party. November 2018. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  12. ↑ "Neale Richmond to replace English as junior minister". RTÉ News. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  13. ↑ "Author Archive - Neale Richmond". Slugger O'Toole. Archived from the original on 16 May 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  14. ↑ "Ukraine: Ireland's military neutrality sparks public debate". BBC News. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  15. ↑ Richmond, Neale. "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.
  16. ↑ @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.
  17. ↑ Richmond, Neale. "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.
  18. ↑ "FG's Richmond says a Commonwealth return would represent an olive branch to unionists". Business Post. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  19. ↑ Brophy, Daragh. "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.
  20. ↑ "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.
  21. ↑ "Irish PM wears 'shamrock poppy'". BBC News. 8 November 2017. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  22. ↑ @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.
  23. ↑ "Online sparring and taking on Daniel Kinahan all in a day's work for combative TD". Archived from the original on 4 April 2021.
  24. ↑ "Cabinet Committees – Wednesday, 2 Feb 2022 – Parliamentary Questions (33rd Dáil) – Houses of the Oireachtas".
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