Niall Blaney (born 29 January 1974) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician, he was previously a member of Independent Fianna Fáil. He has served as a Teachta Dála (TD) since 2002 and was re-elected at the 2007 general election.^[1]

He was born in Letterkenny, County Donegal in 1974. He is a graduate of Letterkenny Institute of Technology with Diploma in Civil Engineering. He hails from a family with a strong political tradition. His grandfather, Neal Blaney, was an Old IRA member and a TD from 1927 to 1948. Niall Blaney's uncle, Neil Blaney was also a TD and a controversial cabinet minister who was sacked in the midst of the Arms Crisis of 1970. Prior to this he had served as a Minister of Cabinet on three occasions. He continued to represent the Donegal North East constituency in the Dáil, initially as an Independent TD, but subsequently forming his own political organisation, known as Independent Fianna Fáil, which contested Dáil and local elections in Donegal. He was elected in every Dáil election since his first attempt in 1948, and served until his death in 1995.

Niall Blaney's father, Harry Blaney, succeeded his brother Neil by becoming a TD at the 1997 general election. Niall Blaney first became involved in politics in 1999 when he was elected to Donegal County Council. Three years later, at the 2002 general election he succeeded in getting elected to Dáil Éireann in Donegal North East as an Independent Fianna Fáil TD.^[2]

He has been a consistent supporter of the Fianna Fáil–Progressive Democrat coalition in the Dáil, and with the anticipated retirement of the senior Fianna Fáil TD in the constituency, Jim McDaid, there had been speculation for some time that Blaney would apply to join Fianna Fáil and stand as a candidate at the 2007 general election. The merger between the two organisations was opposed by other members of the Blaney family, including all seven children of Neil Blaney and his widow Eva who issued a damning press release prior to Niall Blaney's decision castigating the Fianna Fáil party and disassociating themselves from any so called 'truce' with them. On 26 July 2006, Blaney announced that he had joined the Fianna Fáil party.

As a result, Fianna Fáil held all three seats in the Donegal North East constituency from then until the 2007 general election, when fellow Donegal North East TD Cecilia Keaveney lost her seat to Fine Gael's Joe McHugh.

[edit] See also

• Families in the Oireachtas

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Niall Blaney's official website
• Niall Blaney's page on the Fianna Fáil website
• [1] Newstalk 106 radio interview with Eamonn Blaney (son of Neil Blaney) discussing the merger with Fianna Fáil, July 2006
• [2] Google cache of Sunday Business Post article discussing the possible merger
• [3] Village magazine article, 13 July 2006
• [4] Statement by Bertie Ahern on the merger, 26 July 2006