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Irish politician (born 1974) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Cullinane (born 4 July 1974) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Waterford constituency since the 2016 general election. He previously served as a Senator for the Labour Panel from 2011 to 2016.[1]
David Cullinane | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Cullinane in 2024 | |
| Teachta Dála | |
| Assumed office February 2016 | |
| Constituency | Waterford |
| Senator | |
| In office 25 May 2011 – 26 February 2016 | |
| Constituency | Labour Panel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 July 1974 Waterford, Ireland |
| Political party | Sinn Féin |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Waterford Institute of Technology |
Cullinane was born in Waterford in 1974.[2] He was married to Kathleen Funchion, who is a Sinn Féin MEP for South.[3]
He was elected to Waterford City Council at the 2004 local elections and retained his seat at the 2009 local elections.[4]
He became a member of Seanad Éireann in May 2011, as a senator for the Labour Panel.[5] The Irish Times described him in the Seanad as "a frequent, informed and often abrasive contributor across a wide range of areas, with a keen attention to the nuances of legislation".[6]
He unsuccessfully contested the Waterford constituency at the 2002, 2007 and 2011 general elections, before winning a seat in 2016. He was re-elected in 2020, when his 20,596 first preference votes amounted to 1.95 quotas,[4] and was the highest ever recorded in the constituency's history.[7]
Cullinane drew criticism on election night when a 30-second video uploaded to Twitter showed him ending his election victory speech with the phrases "up the Republic, Up the 'Ra and Tiocfaidh ár lá".[8][9][10] When questioned about the appropriateness of using these phrases associated with support for the IRA, Cullinane stated: "Yesterday was a very emotional day for me . . . It was a long count and obviously we were very excited and very proud of the vote we got yesterday in Waterford. The 30-second clip was part of a longer speech that I gave where I was reflecting back on the hunger strikes, reflecting back on the fact that Kevin Lynch stood in the Waterford constituency in 1981. He was someone who inspired me and inspired I think many republicans. The comments were made in that context."[11]
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