Jim O'Callaghan

Jim O'Callaghan TD
O'Callaghan in 2024
Teachta Dála
Incumbent
Assumed office February 2016
Constituency	Dublin Bay South
Personal details
Born	James O'Callaghan (1968-01-05) 5 January 1968 (age 56) Dublin, Ireland
Political party	Fianna Fáil
Spouse	Julie Liston ​ (m. 1997)​
Children	1
Relatives	Miriam O'Callaghan (sister)
Alma mater	University College Dublin Cambridge University King's Inns
Website	jimocallaghan.com

Jim O'Callaghan (born 5 January 1968) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Bay South constituency since the 2016 general election.^[1][2]

Legal career

O'Callaghan has a BCL degree from University College Dublin, a master's degree in law and an M.Phil. in criminology from Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, and a barrister-at-law degree from the King's Inns. O'Callaghan devilled for Rory Brady.^[3]

In 2000, he represented Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in defamation proceedings against a businessman, appearing with Rory Brady and Paul Gallagher, both of whom later served as Attorney General of Ireland.^[4] He was made a senior counsel in 2008.^[5] O'Callaghan also served as a legal adviser to Fianna Fáil from January 2011 to his election to the Dáil. In 2014, he co-edited a book titled, Law and Government: A Tribute to Rory Brady.^[6]

Political career

He was a member of Dublin City Council from 2009 to 2016. He unsuccessfully ran as a candidate for Fianna Fáil in the 2007 general election in Dublin South-East.^[7]

He was a member of the Fianna Fáil negotiating team in talks on government formation in 2016.^[8] Early on 9 April 2016, O'Callaghan's home hosted a covert meeting between O'Callaghan, Leo Varadkar, Deirdre Gillane (chief adviser of Micheál Martin) and Andrew McDowell (a policy adviser of Enda Kenny). It lasted for more than an hour.^[9]

On 19 May 2016, he was appointed as Fianna Fáil Spokesperson for Justice and Equality by party leader Micheál Martin. He drafted and secured cross-party support for his Parole Bill which was passed by the Oireachtas and became an Act.^[10] It reformed the parole system giving victims of crime and their families the right to be heard during the parole process.

O'Callaghan also introduced a Judicial Appointments Commission Bill on 18 October 2016 that sought to amend the process by which judges were appointed. Although the Bill passed second stage in the Dáil,^[11] it was not supported by the Fine Gael minority Government which instead pursued legislation proposed by the Minister for Transport, Shane Ross, though with changes.^[12]

In November 2016, O'Callaghan met with some of those who had been sexually abused as boys by Bill Kenneally, Fianna Fáil tallyman and cousin of former Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Kenneally.^[13][14] Brendan Kenneally had previously acknowledged that he had been aware of his cousin's crimes before his sentencing to 14 years imprisonment.^[13] On 10 July 2018 the Government established a Commission of Investigation under Judge Barry Hickson to investigate the Kenneally allegations.^[15]

At the 2020 general election, O'Callaghan was re-elected as a TD for the Dublin Bay South constituency.^[16] In July 2020 O'Callaghan declined the position of Minister of State at the Department of Justice in the 32nd Government of Ireland offered to him by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, stating that he wished to remain on the backbenches, providing a voice in Fianna Fáil outside of government, while also making the party more attractive to younger voters.^[17] In September 2020 O’Callaghan told RTÉ radio he was interested in becoming the leader of Fianna Fáil following Martin.^[18]

O'Callaghan was appointed as the party's spokesman on justice matters by Martin on 17 December 2020.^[19]

O'Callaghan was the Fianna Fáil Director of Elections for the 2021 Dublin Bay South by-election in which the party's candidate came in fifth position.^[20]

At the 2024 general election, O'Callaghan was re-elected to the Dáil.

Personal life

He played rugby at a senior level, representing UCD, Cambridge University, London Irish, Wanderers, Leinster and Connacht. He was also capped for Ireland at under-21 level. He is a frequent cyclist, regularly cycling to Leinster House and advocates for the expansion of cycling infrastructure in Dublin.

He has four sisters,^[21] one of whom is the Irish broadcaster Miriam O'Callaghan.^[5]

References

1. "Jim O'Callaghan". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
2. "Election 2016: Jim O'Callaghan". RTÉ News. 28 February 2016. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
3. "Former Attorney General's funeral takes place". RTÉ. 22 July 2010. Archived from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
4. "Judge lets Ahern libel case proceed". The Irish Times. 12 December 2000. Archived from the original on 3 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
5. "Miriam O'Callaghan: In her prime". Sunday Independent. 20 June 2010. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
6. "Former Attorney General Brady was an 'incalculable loss'". Independent. 19 December 2014. Archived from the original on 3 April 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
7. "Jim O'Callaghan". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
8. McGee, Harry (12 March 2016). "Fianna Fáil's negotiating team for government talks revealed". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 16 May 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
9. McGee, Harry (11 April 2016). "FG and FF agree minority government the only show in town". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 20 April 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
10. "Bill to create independent statutory Parole Board approved by Oireachtas". Irish Legal News. 12 July 2019. Archived from the original on 3 April 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
11. Second Stage Debate https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2016-10-26/27/ Archived 24 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine
12. McConnell, Daniel (11 December 2019). "Government accused of filleting Judicial Appointments Bill through own amendment". Irish Examiner.
13. Tiernan, Damien (25 September 2016). "Former TD 'was told cousin abused boys but he said nothing'". Sunday Independent. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
14. Parker, Christy (26 February 2020). "Mary Butler apologises for 'huge error of judgment'". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
15. Hickson Commission of Investigation commences work http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/PR18000345 Archived 21 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine
16. Cullen, Paul (10 February 2020). "Dublin Bay South results: Andrews says tent incident influenced voters". The Irish Times. Dublin. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
17. Bray, Jennifer; Kelly, Fiach; Leahy, Pat. "Full line up of junior ministers unveiled as Taoiseach accused by one TD of snub". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
18. McConnell, Daniel (17 September 2020). "Jim O'Callaghan interested in Fianna Fáil leadership – just not now". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 3 April 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
19. Bray, Jennifer. "Martin appoints 18 Fianna Fáil TDs to spokesperson positions". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
20. Molony, Senan. "Jim O'Callaghan appointed Fianna Fáil director of elections for Dublin Bay South by-election". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
21. Egan, Barry (8 February 2016). "Jim O'Callaghan on growing up with five strong women – 'The house was dominated by feminism to a certain extent'". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2020.

External links

• Jim O'Callaghan's page on the Fianna Fáil website