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Matt Shanahan (politician)

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Matt Shanahan
TD
Shanahan in 2020
Teachta Dála
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 2020
ConstituencyWaterford
Personal details
Born (1964-05-19) 19 May 1964 (age 60)
Waterford, Ireland
Political partyIndependent
Spouse
Elaine Shanahan
​
(m. 1997)​
Children3
EducationSt Augustine's College
Alma materDublin Institute of Technology

Matt Shanahan (born 19 May 1964) is an Irish independent politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Waterford constituency since the 2020 general election.[1][2]

Before politics

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Matt Shanahan was born in 1964. His father was a doctor in Ardkeen Hospital, and his mother was a home economics teacher by profession.[3] Shanahan attended St Augustine's College, Dungarvan.[3] He worked for Dawn Meats and in the United States before receiving a degree in marketing in Morehampton College, Dublin and moving back to Waterford.[3]

In 2004, Shanahan founded Velocity Media, a Waterford-based mobile billboard company.[4] He has also done consultancy in digital marketing and advising small businesses on applying for state and EU grants.[5]

Political career

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According to the Irish Independent, Shanahan has "strong Fine Gael ties".[6] In 2012, he founded South East Hospitals Action Alliance, an advocacy group to protest downgrading of Waterford Regional Hospital (now University Hospital Waterford, UHW) in the 2012 budget.[3][7] In 2016, he founded Health Equality For the South East, to improve UHW cardiology services with a second cath lab and 24/7 percutaneous coronary intervention capability.[3][8]

In December 2018, Mary Roche, an independent Waterford City and County Councillor resigned her seat in the Waterford City East local electoral area. She nominated Shanahan to replace her. In line with the local rules requiring a vote to be held in place of a co-optation, a convention was held on 10 January 2019 and the remaining councillors duly voted 25–5 on to co-opt Shanahan to Roche's vacant seat, with Sinn Féin councillors voting against his nomination.[9] He retained his seat in the 2019 local elections, topping the poll,[10] and commenting, "it's not a strong vote for Matt Shanahan, it's a strong vote on the whole hospital issue here in the South-East".[11] Mary Roche, the former independent councillor from which Shanahan inherited his seat, was co-opted to Shanahan's seat on Waterford City and County Council following his election to the Dáil.[12]

On 14 January 2020, Shanahan announced he would be standing in the general election to be held on 8 February.[13] While The Irish Times said he was 'seen as the single-issue "hospital candidate"',[14] Shanahan also mentioned university status for Waterford Institute of Technology and "the increasing inequality glaringly apparent between economic measures and development in the South East versus similar city regions in Ireland".[13] He was elected on the seventh count.[15]

Personal life

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Shanahan and his wife Elaine have three children.[16] He has coached underage hurling at Ballygunner GAA.[3]

In 2021, Shanahan was the subject of controversy after he made a post on Twitter in response to a woman sharing her experience of being harassed, for which he was accused of "victim blaming".[17]

See also

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References

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Sources

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  • Murphy, Darragh (10 February 2020). "Matt Shanahan (Independent)". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 February 2020.

Citations

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  1. ^ "Matt Shanahan". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  2. ^ Murphy 2020, "the 55-year-old"
  3. ^ a b c d e f Kinsella, Alan (9 May 2019). "Leaflet from Matt Shanahan – Independent – Waterford City East #LE19". Irish Election Literature. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  4. ^ "About". Official website. Velocity Advertising Ireland. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  5. ^ Murphy 2020
  6. ^ "Election 2020: Meet the wave of new TDs ready to take on the Dáil". Irish Independent. 11 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  7. ^ Kane, Conor (14 November 2012). "Officials assure consultants on future of Waterford hospital". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  8. ^ Murphy 2020; "H.E.F.S.E want people to put their hand on their heart for their campaign for 24/7 cardiac care at UHW". Beat 102 103. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2020.; "Why". Official website. Health Equality For The South East. Retrieved 12 February 2020.; Shanahan, Matt (13 May 2017). "'It's strange that health managers never refer patients out of Dublin for treatment'". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 12 February 2020.; Roche, Barry (18 April 2018). "Death of woman after heart attacks highlights 'cardiac service deficiency'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  9. ^ "Cllr. Matt Shanahan". Official website. Waterford City & County Council. Retrieved 12 February 2020.; Reddy, Liz (11 January 2019). "Cardiac care campaigner Matt Shanahan has been elected to fill the empty seat on Waterford City and County Council". WLR FM. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Waterford Local Elections Analysis: The good, the bad and the ugly". Waterford News and Star. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  11. ^ RTÉ News @rtenews (25 May 2019). "Waterford council candidate Matt Shanahan says voters have responded to his prioritisation of 24/7 cardiac care at the city's hospital". Twitter. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  12. ^ Randie Doxey (6 March 2020). "'You can't plan for this' – Mary Roche returns to the Council". The Munster Express. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  13. ^ a b Aherne, Sinead (14 January 2020). "Matt Shanahan announces Dáil bid". WLR FM. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  14. ^ Power, Jack (18 January 2020). "Election 2020: Waterford constituency profile". The Irish Times.
  15. ^ "Waterford". General Election 2020. RTÉ News. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  16. ^ Foley, Kieran (30 May 2019). "Shanahan tops poll as Greens spring surprise". Munster Express. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  17. ^ "TD blames social media after backlash on 'situational awareness' tweet to woman who was harassed in public park". independent. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
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