Eamon Gilmore

Infobox Politician
name =Eamon Gilmore
honorific-suffix = TD
nationality =Irish


width =200px
office =Leader of the Labour Party
term_start =6 September 2007
term_end =
predecessor =Pat Rabbitte
successor =
birth_date =birth date and age|1955|4|24|df=y
birth_place =Caltra, County Galway
death_date =
death_place =
constituency =Dún Laoghaire
party =Labour Party
spouse =
religion =
order2 =
term_start2 =
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president =
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successor2 =|

Eamon Gilmore (born 24 April 1955) is the leader of the Irish Labour Party. He was formally confirmed on 6 September 2007 [ [http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0906/labour.html Gilmore declared new Labour leader] – "RTÉ News", 6 September 2007.] after being the only candidate for the post after the resignation of Pat Rabbitte. He is currently also Teachta Dála for Dún Laoghaire and was previously Party Spokesperson for the Environment & Local Government.

Born in Caltra, County Galway, he was educated at Garbally College, Ballinasloe and University College Galway (UCG). He served as President of NUI,Galway Students' Union then known as UCG Students' Union from July 1974 to June 1975. From 1976 until 1978 he served as President of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI). He was one of a number of prominent USI figures who were associated at the time with Official Sinn Féin.

In 1985 he was elected to Dublin County Council. Gilmore was first elected to Dáil Éireann in the 1989 general election as a member of the Workers' Party for the constituency of Dún Laoghaire, and has been re-elected on every occasion since then. In 1992 he joined with Proinsias De Rossa and five other Workers' Party deputies in the creation of New Agenda which subsequently became Democratic Left. It merged with the Labour Party in 1999. Between 1994 and 1997 Gilmore served as Minister of State at the Department of the Marine.

Following Pat Rabbitte's resignation as party leader in August 2007 Gilmore announced his candidacy for the leadership. He received support from senior figures such as Michael D. Higgins, Ruairi Quinn, Willie Penrose, Liz McManus and Emmet Stagg and did not have to contest a ballot, being formally confirmed as leader on 6 September after being the only declared candidate.

Gilmore has expressed a preference for a focus on the Labour policies and Labour's future rather than an electoral alliance with any other party or preoccupation with the Labour "brand".

References

External links

* [http://www.gilmore.ie Eamon Gilmore's website]
* [http://www.electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=3531 Eamon Gilmore's electoral history] (ElectionsIreland.org)

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