Niall Blaney

Niall Blaney (born 29 January 1974) is a former Irish politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Donegal North East from 2002 to 2011.He was a member of Independent Fianna Fáil until he joined Fianna Fáil in 2006. For personal reasons, he decided not to contest the 2011 general election.

Political career

Born in Letterkenny, County Donegal in 1974, Niall Blaney hails from a family with a long political history. His grandfather Neal Blaney, his uncle Neil Blaney, and his father Harry Blaney all preceded him as TDs. The Blaney Family is one of the longest serving families in the Oireachtas, serving continuously from 1927 until 2011 with the brief exception after Neil T. Blaney's death when Cecelia Keaveney won the resulting by-election in 1996.

Blaney graduated from Letterkenny Institute of Technology with a diploma in civil engineering. He first became involved in politics when he was elected to Donegal County Council in 1999. Three years later, in the 2002 general election, he won election to Dáil Éireann, capturing the third seat in the Donegal North East constituency after Fianna Fáil's Jim McDaid and Cecilia Keaveney.

Blaney started his political career as a member of Independent Fianna Fáil, a splinter group created by his uncle Neil T. Blaney when he was expelled from Fianna Fáil over the Arms Crisis of 1969–70. As a supporter of the Fianna Fáil–led coalition government...
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