Jim McDaid

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Jim McDaid
Minister for Tourism, Sport & Recreation
In office 1997 – 2002
Preceded by	Enda Kenny
Succeeded by	John O'Donoghue
Constituency	Donegal North East
Minister of State at the Department of Transport
In office 2002 – 2004
Preceded by	Newly Created Office
Succeeded by	Ivor Callely
Born	October 3, 1949 Termon, County Donegal, Ireland
Nationality	Irish
Political party	Fianna Fáil

Dr. Jim McDaid (Irish: Séamus Mac Daibhéad; born October 3, 1949) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and a doctor of medicine. He is currently a Teachta Dála (TD) for Donegal North East, first elected in 1989 he has served continuously since and won his seat again in 2007.

[edit] Early life

James (Jim) McDaid was born in October 1949 in Termon, County Donegal. He was educated in St. Eunan's College, Letterkenny and University College, Galway. While at UCG he played on the university soccer team that won three national titles, with McDaid captaining the side on two of those occasions. Between 1974 and 1979 he worked at Letterkenny General Hospital, and in 1979 he went into partnership as a general practitioner in Letterkenny. He was also involved as medical officer to the Donegal county Gaelic football team.

[edit] Political career

McDaid was elected to Dáil Éireann on his first attempt at the 1989 general election. He remained on the backbenches until 1991 when he was nominated by Taoiseach Charles Haughey to the position of Minister for Defence. On the morning of his appointment, however, a photograph emerged taken outside Dublin's Four Courts on the day a judge ruled that the Maze escaper, James Pius Clarke, should not be extradited to the United Kingdom. McDaid was seen in the background, smiling broadly. While McDaid stated that his presence at the hearing was due to personal connections -- Clarke's mother was a constituent and a patient in his general practice in Letterkenny -- the opposition Fine Gael party objected to his appointment and ministers from Fianna Fáil's coalition partners, the Progressive Democrats, indicated their unwillingness to remain in office should McDaid be appointed. McDaid handed back his portfolio that evening and returned to the backbenches. Following Bertie Ahern's election as leader of Fianna Fáil in 1994, McDaid was appointed to the front bench as spokesperson on Equality and Law Reform.

As a result of this appointment McDaid joined the government in 1997 when he became Minister for Tourism, Sport & Recreation. During his tenure he earned the nickname "the Minister for Fun," however, he presided over much more weighty issues such as investigations into controversial events such as drugs allegations in sport and sex abuse by swimming coaches. Following the 2002 general election McDaid failed to retain his Cabinet post, but he did become a Minister of State. Mc Daid was dropped from the cabinet table because, during the 2002 general election campaign he stated that anyone who completes suicide is a "selfish bastard". He failed to be elected to the European Parliament in 2004 and was later sacked from his position as Minister of State and returned to the backbenches once again. In April 2006, McDaid announced that he would be retiring from public life in favour of returning to his medical practice and would not be standing in the next general election. However, on July 27, 2006, following the announcement that Niall Blaney TD had joined the Fianna Fáil party, McDaid reversed this decision, and announced that he would be seeking nomination as a candidate once again.

[edit] Personal life

McDaid's private life has long been a source of interest in the Irish media. The breakdown of his marriage, and the subsequent publication of a book by his ex-wife, revealed the details of their troubled marriage and separation.

In April 2005 McDaid was arrested when found driving drunk in the wrong direction on a dual carriageway outside Dublin. Oncoming vehicles were forced to swerve to avoid his car, which was eventually force to stop when a haulier was forced to block his path. Tests showed a blood alcohol level of 267mg, more than three times over the legal limit of 80 mg. He was subsequently convicted of dangerous driving while intoxicated and drunken driving, banned from driving for 2 years and fined EUR 750. However he was returned his licence after only a year. The case attracted media attention and McDaid was described as 'a disgrace' and 'an idiot'. He acknowledged that these descriptions were accurate, and stated that he was genuinely sorry for his actions.

Three years earlier, as Junior Transport Minister in November 2002, he had spearheaded the Government's anti-drink driving campaign, warning that 'some drivers still choose to ignore our drink driving laws, and as a result innocent lives are destroyed'.

He currently lives with his partner, Siobhan O'Donnell, a former barmaid, and the couple's son, Neal.

[edit] Political future

Having previously publicly indicated that politics "no longer holds any challenge for him" and that he was to resign from politics at the dissolution of the 29th Dáil, McDaid announced on July 27, 2006 that he would seek a nomination to contest the next general election. [1]

Following the absorption of Independent Fianna Fáil and its sole TD, Niall Blaney into Fianna Fáil, there were then three outgoing Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála's in this very competitive three-seater constituency. Under the Single Transferable Vote proportional representation electoral system used in Ireland, it was considered virtually impossible for all three to be elected. Fianna Fáil duly lost one of its three seats to Fine Gael candidate Joe McHugh, with McDaid and Blaney being the two successful Fianna Fáil candidates.

Jim McDaid told the Irish Independent on June 1, 2007 that he had received no help from Fianna Fáil headquarters during the general election campaign and that the party had treated him as a virtual independent. He warned that, consequently, the party should not take his support in the 30th Dáil for granted.

[edit] References

• Profile from Irish Independent, September 23, 2000.
• 'Madcap chase as McDaid arrested for drink driving', Irish Independent, April 28, 2005.
• 'Rebel TD threatens to pull the plug on Ahern', June 1, 2007.

[edit] Political career