Biography of Minister Jimmy Deenihan T.D.
Following his re-election to the 31st Dáil, Mr. Jimmy Deenihan, T.D. was appointed Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht on the 9th March 2011.
Deputy Deenihan was appointed spokesperson for Defence from July 2007 -July 2010 when he was re-appointed spokesperson on Tourism, Culture and Sport having served in this portfolio from June 2002 to May 2007.
A Dáil deputy since 1987, Deputy Deenihan was appointed as Advisor to the Leader on Northern Ireland Policy and Party Spokesperson on Sport in February 2001. He was Fine Gael's Junior Spokesperson on Environmental Information and Protection from June 2000 to February 2001. Prior to this, Deputy Deenihan was the Fine Gael spokesperson on the Office of Public Works (1997-2000).
From 1994-1997 he was Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry with special responsibility for Rural Development, the LEADER programme, and monitoring the activities of An Bord Bia and the food industry.
He has been the Fine Gael spokesperson on Tourism and Trade (1992-1994), and was also spokesperson on Youth and Sports (1988-1993). A Taoiseach's nominee, Mr. Deenihan was a member of the Senate from 1982-1987.
He was a member of Kerry County Council from 1985 to 1994, and a member of Kerry County Vocational Education Committee (1985-1991). From 1992 to 1994 he was a member of the Kerry County Enterprise Board and was re-elected to Kerry Council in June 1999.
A member of the Gaelic Athletic Association he won All-Ireland football medals with Kerry in 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980 and in 1981, the year he captained the team. He received a GAA All-Star Award in 1981.
Biography of Minister Dinny McGinley T.D.
Mr. Dinny McGinley T.D. was first elected to Dáil Éireann in February 1982 and has been re-elected on every occasion since then for the Donegal South-West Constituency. Minister McGinley is a native Irish speaker, born in Gweedore, where he still lives.
He has held numerous front bench positions while in opposition, including Gaeltacht, Youth & Sport, Defence and Immigrant Policy. He was chairman of the Oireachtas language & Culture Committee from 1994-1997 and Chairman of the Oireachtas committee on Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs before the election in 2011.
Minister McGinley is a former member of the British-Irish Parliamentary party and was a Permanent Representative of Dáil Éireann to the Organisation for Cooperation and Securtiy in Europe (OCSE).
On 10 March 2011 Mr. McGinley T.D. was appointed by an Taoiseach, Mr. Enda Kenny T.D., as Minister of State with responsibility for Gaeltacht and the Islands.