Byrne worked as a solicitor at Feran & Co. law firm in Drogheda until his selection as a Fianna Fáil 2007 Irish general election candidate for the newly established constituency of Meath East.[6] In his first campaign for public office, Byrne was elected to the Dáil with 7,834 first preference votes,[7] making him the youngest member of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party at the time.[8]
During this period, Byrne was selected as a Fianna Fáil parliamentary party delegate to the National Forum on Europe.[10] Following the first unsuccessful referendum to ratify the Treaty of Lisbon, Byrne was appointed to an Oireachtas sub-committee tasked with reviewing the causes of the Lisbon Treaty's rejection by the Irish electorate in June 2008.[11] The Treaty was subsequently adopted following a second plebiscite in October 2009.
While serving his first Dáil term, the issue of young couple mortgage arrears in Meath East was one of Byrne's primary focuses as he co-authored a bipartisan report which instituted revised code of conduct regulations for mortgage lenders operating in Ireland.[12]
In June 2009, following selection to run alongside the existing Fianna Fáil MEP Liam Aylward, Byrne unsuccessfully contested the 2009 European Parliament election for the East constituency receiving a total of 33,383 votes.[13]
In November 2009, Byrne was appointed president of Ógra Fianna Fáil by Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil Brian Cowen at its national youth conference.[14]
24th Seanad (2011–2016)
Byrne lost his seat in the 2011 general election. He was elected as a Fianna Fáil senator for the Cultural and Educational Panel, and was appointed by then Leader of the Opposition Micheál Martin as Seanad Éireann opposition front bench spokesperson on Public Expenditure & Reform, and subsequently Health.[15]
In May 2014, following selection to run alongside the sitting Fianna Fáil MEP Pat "the Cope" Gallagher, Byrne unsuccessfully contested the European Parliament election for the Midlands–North-West constituency receiving a total of 64,057 votes (8.6%).[17]
32nd Dáil (2016–2020)
Following the 2016 general election, Byrne was re-elected to Dáil Éireann, receiving a total of 10,818 first preference votes (26.1%).[18] On returning to Dáil Éireann, Byrne was appointed opposition front bench spokesperson for Education and Skills by then Leader of the Opposition Micheál Martin.[19]
As opposition spokesperson for Education and Skills, Byrne opposed so-called 'baptism barrier' which was instituted in oversubscribed Irish Catholic primary schools. The practice, in line with Catholic primary schools admissions policies at the time,[20] involved the lawful discrimination of student registration on the basis of religion. Following a bipartisan initiative to remove the obstacle, led by Byrne and the Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton, the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 was enacted, prohibited selective enrolment predicated on religious factors.[21]
In February 2020, Byrne was re-elected to Dáil Éireann as a TD for Meath East, receiving 6,039 first preference votes.[24][25]
In May 2020, speaking as opposition spokesperson for Education and Skills, Byrne called on the Minister for Education and SkillsJoe McHugh, to cancel the 2020 Leaving Certificate and implement "fair alternatives" to alleviate undue student stress and anxiety following months of national uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[26] The call received widespread support and led to the adoption of a predicted grading system in place of the traditional Leaving Certificate for 2020.[27]
Following the election, as no single party received a governing parliamentary majority, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin assembled a six-person negotiating team, of which Byrne was a member, tasked with reaching out to like-minded political parties with the intent to form a government.[28] After five months of discussion, held during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party reached an unprecedented agreement to coalesce and establish a governing majority.[29] Following the formation of the government of the 33rd Dáil, Byrne was appointed Minister of State for European Affairs by Taoiseach Micheál Martin.[30][31]
On 10 April 2024, Byrne was given the Gaeltacht portfolio in addition to his existing Sport role at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, following the appointment of Simon Harris as Taoiseach.[35]
^Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) (No. 2) Order 2023 (S.I. No. 34 of 2023). Signed on 24 January 2023. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
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