Willie Penrose

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Willie Penrose
Willie Penrose 2005 cropped.jpg
Chairman of the Labour Parliamentary Party
In office
29 February 2016 – 26 February 2020
Leader
Preceded byJack Wall
Succeeded byVacant
Minister of State
2011Environment, Community and Local Government
Teachta Dála
In office
May 2007 – February 2020
ConstituencyLongford–Westmeath
In office
November 1992 – May 2007
ConstituencyWestmeath
Personal details
Born
William Penrose

(1956-08-01) 1 August 1956 (age 65)
Ballynacargy, County Westmeath, Ireland
NationalityIrish
Political partyLabour Party
(1969–2011), (2013–)
Other political
affiliations		Independent (2011–13)
Spouse(s)Anne Fitzsimons
Children3
Education
Alma mater

Willie Penrose (born 1 August 1956) is a former Irish Labour Party politician who served as Chairman of the Labour Parliamentary Party from 2016 to 2020 and a Minister of State from March 2011 to November 2011. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1992 to 2020.[1][2]

Education and professional career[]

Penrose was born in Ballynacargy, County Westmeath, in 1956. He was educated at St. Mary's CBS, Mullingar; Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar; Multyfarnham Agricultural College; University College Dublin (UCD), and the King's Inns. At UCD, he studied Agricultural Science, graduating in 1979 with a bachelor's degree; after graduation, with a colleague, he formed an agricultural consultancy firm in Mullingar. In 1986 he took up the position of advisor to the Minister of State at the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Tourism, Michael Moynihan, resigning from the agricultural consultancy to do so.

He qualified as a barrister in 1990, before entering into national politics. He has published a book on agricultural law.[3]

Political career[]

Westmeath County Council[]

In 1984, Penrose was co-opted on to Westmeath County Council, and a year later, he ran in the local elections, winning his seat in the Mullingar Lough Owel local electoral area by a margin of just six votes. In the 1991 local elections, he topped the poll in the Mullingar Rural Area.[4]

Dáil Éireann: 1992–2020[]

At the 1992 general election, in which the Labour Party won a record 33 seats (later surpassed in 2011), he was first elected to the Dáil as a Labour Party TD for the Westmeath constituency.[5]

In 2002, Penrose was a candidate for the deputy leadership of the Labour Party. Although he was part of a joint ticket with Pat Rabbitte, who won the leadership comfortably, he was narrowly defeated for the deputy leadership by Liz McManus, polling 1,636 votes to McManus's 1,728.

Minister of State: 2011[]

On 9 March 2011, he was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government with special responsibility for Housing and Planning, attending meetings of the cabinet.[6][7][8]

On 15 November 2011, he resigned as Minister of State due to his opposition to the government's decision to close Columb Barracks in Mullingar.[9][10] Penrose said: "I understand and appreciate that significant efforts were made by my Labour colleagues in government, who fully understood the depths of my feelings in this regard, to resolve this matter, but to no avail."[11][12] He also resigned the Labour parliamentary party whip.[2]

2012–2020[]

In February 2012, The Phoenix magazine contrasted Penrose who "eats at the PLP tables in the Dáil restaurant and is often seen chatting to Gilmore on the corridors" with two other backbenchers who lost the party whip, Tommy Broughan and Patrick Nulty, both of whom had been "banished" from the Labour parliamentary offices.[13] Penrose rejoined the parliamentary Labour Party in October 2013.[14]

He was narrowly re-elected to the Dáil at the 2016 general election, one of just seven Labour TDs to secure election. On 5 July 2018, he announced that he would not contest the next general election.[15] Alan Mangan was selected as his replacement for the 2020 general election, but Mangan was not elected.[16]

References[]

  1. ^ "Willie Penrose". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Cullen, Paul; Minihan, Mary (16 November 2011). "Minister's resignation increases fears over budget cuts". The Irish Times.
  3. ^ Penrose, Willie (2006). Agricultural Law in Ireland. Dublin: First Law. ISBN 9781904480495.
  4. ^ "Westmeath County Council (Mullingar Lough Owel) 1985 Local Election". Irish Elections. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Willie Penrose". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
  6. ^ "Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government – Dáil Éireann (32nd Dáil)". Oireachtas. 9 March 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  7. ^ Environment, Community and Local Government (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 311). 14 June 2011. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved 7 April 2021, Irish Statute Book.
  8. ^ Article 5 of the Oireachtas (Allowances) (Members and Holders of Parliamentary and Certain Ministerial Offices) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 347). 28 June 2011. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved 18 August 2021, Irish Statute Book.
  9. ^ "Resignation of Minister of State" (PDF). Iris Oifigiúil. 2011 (92): 1595. 18 November 2011.
  10. ^ "Penrose quits on barracks issue". The Irish Times. 15 November 2011.
  11. ^ "Penrose quits Cabinet over barracks closure". RTÉ News. 15 November 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  12. ^ "Labour's Penrose resigns from Government over barracks closure". Irish Independent. 15 November 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  13. ^ "Penrose by any other name" (PDF). The Phoenix. 10 February 2012.
  14. ^ "Penrose welcomed 'back into Labour fold' by Gilmore". TheJournal.ie. 7 October 2013.
  15. ^ Mullooly, Ciaran (5 July 2018). "Penrose says he will not contest next general election". RTÉ News. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  16. ^ "Mangan 'up to the challenge' of retaining Labour seat". Westmeath Examiner. 6 July 2018.

External links[]

Oireachtas
New constituency Labour Party Teachta Dála for Westmeath
1992–2007 		Constituency abolished
New constituency Labour Party Teachta Dála for Longford–Westmeath
2007–2020 		Succeeded by
Sorca Clarke
(Sinn Féin)
Retrieved from ""