Norma Foley

Norma Foley (born 1970[1]) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Minister for Education since June 2020. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for Kerry since 2020.[2]

Norma Foley
TD
Foley in 2020
Minister for Education
Assumed office
27 June 2020
TaoiseachMicheál Martin
Preceded byJoe McHugh
Teachta Dála
Assumed office
February 2020
ConstituencyKerry
Personal details
Born1970 (age 51–52)
Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland
NationalityIrish
Political partyFianna Fáil
Spouse(s)Denis Maguire (m. 2005)
RelationsDenis Foley (Father)
Alma materUniversity College Cork

Local politics

Foley was previously a member of Kerry County Council for the Tralee local electoral area, serving from 1994 until her election to the Dáil in 2020. She also served as a member of Tralee Urban District Council until its abolition in 2014.

Parliamentary career

After failing in her bid to secure a nomination as a general election candidate in Kerry North in 2002, Foley was added to the Fianna Fáil ticket as Tom McEllistrim's running mate in the same constituency in 2007.[3] She polled 4,937 first preference votes and finished fifth overall in the three-set constituency after being eliminated on the third count.

Foley again failed in her bid to secure a nomination as a general election candidate in 2016, but was a late addition to the ticket as a third Fianna Fáil candidate in the Kerry constituency in advance of the 2020 general election.[4][5] She polled 6,856 first preference votes and secured the fifth and final seat at the expense of the her party colleague John Brassil on the eighth count.[6][7][8] Johnnie Wall was co-opted to Foley's seat on Kerry County Council following her election to the Dáil. On her first day in the Dáil, Foley proposed her party leader Micheál Martin in his successful bid to become Taoiseach.

Minister for Education

Foley was appointed Minister for Education in June 2020 following the formation of a new coalition government.[9]

Personal life

Prior to becoming a TD, she was a teacher at Presentation Secondary School, Tralee. She is married to fellow teacher Denis Maguire. Her parents are Denis and Hannah Foley. Her father Denis Foley was a Fianna Fáil TD for Kerry North from 1981 to 1989 and 1992 to 2002.

References
  1. "Norma Foley (b. 1970) - Irish Life and Lore". irishlifeandlore.com. February 2017. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  2. "Norma Foley". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 24 June 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  3. Lucey, Anne (25 June 2001). "Foley fails to win Kerry North nomination". Irish Times. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  4. O'Sullivan, Majella (8 January 2015). "FF's Norma Foley follows her dad with Dail bid". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  5. Lucey, Anne (17 December 2019). "Norma Foley added to Fianna Fáil ticket in Kerry". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  6. Crean, Dermot (10 February 2020). "It's all over in Kerry as Norma Foley takes fifth and final seat". Tralee Today. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  7. Michael, Neil (10 February 2020) [9 February 2020]. "Kerry results: Danny Healy-Rae retains seat on sixth count". Irish Times. Dublin. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  8. "Election 2020: Kerry". Irish Times. Dublin. 10 February 2020. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  9. "Norma Foley becomes Minister for Education and Helen McEntee Minister for Justice". Tralee Today. 27 June 2020. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.