Eamon Gilmore

Eamon Gilmore (born 24 April 1955) is an Irish Labour Party politician and the current Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in the Government of the 31st Dáil. He is also the current Leader of the Labour Party. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency since 1989, first with the Workers' Party of Ireland, and later with the Democratic Left, until the latter party merged with Labour. He served as a Minister of State at the Department for the Marine from 1994 until 1997 as part of the "Rainbow Coalition" during the Government of the 27th Dáil.

Born in County Galway, Gilmore graduated from University College Galway, becoming President of the Union of Students in Ireland, and later a trade union organiser, before entering local politics. As a Democratic Left TD, he was central in negotiating that party's merge with Labour. He was beaten by fellow former Democratic Left TD, Pat Rabbitte, in Labour's 2002 leadership election, and was instead appointed as the party's Environment, Housing and Local Government spokesperson. He eventually succeeded Rabbitte, being elected unopposed to the leadership in 2007.

Early life and career

Gilmore was born in Caltra, County Galway in 1955 into a small farming family. When he was 14 months old his father died leaving his mother to run the mixed farm and raise Gilmore and his younger brother John.<ref...
Read More