19 Facts About Cian O'Callaghan

Cian O'Callaghan was born on 7 May 1979 and is an Irish politician who has been a Teachta Dala for the Dublin Bay North constituency since the 2020 general election.

Cian O'Callaghan is the Housing spokesperson for the Social Democrats and became deputy leader of the party in 2023.

Cian O'Callaghan served as a member of Fingal County Council from 2009 to 2020, and was Ireland's first openly gay mayor.

Cian O'Callaghan graduated with a MA in Politics and a Higher Diploma in Social Policy from University College Dublin.

Cian O'Callaghan served as chair of the youth wing of Democratic Left, and served as co-chair of Labour Youth following the merger of Democratic Left with Labour.

Cian O'Callaghan was elected to Fingal County Council on his first attempt in 2009, representing Labour, taking the second seat in the Howth-Malahide local electoral area.

In July 2013, Cian O'Callaghan left the Labour Party, stating the impetus was "the introduction of two budgets in a row that actually increased income inequality by targeting people on low and middle incomes was deeply unjust".

Cian O'Callaghan was a founding member of the Social Democrats when they launched the party in July 2015.

Cian O'Callaghan contested the 2016 general election for the Social Democrats in Dublin Bay North and received 3,864 first preference votes, being eliminated on the 12th count.

Cian O'Callaghan was the Social Democrats candidate for the Dublin Bay North constituency at the 2020 general election, receiving 6,229 first preference votes, and was elected, taking the third of five seats.

In doing so, Cian O'Callaghan took up the seat of his former mentor Tommy Broughan, who had decided not to contest that year's election.

However, Cian O'Callaghan believes that the left-wing parties in Irish politics should work broadly together.

In June 2021 Cian O'Callaghan accused the government of allowing "wild west" standards to develop in the building trade and urged them to correct course following the revelations that thousands of homes across the west coast of Ireland and in Dublin were crumbling because of the use of poor building materials such as mica and pyrite.

Cian O'Callaghan has been calling on the Government to increase the number of affordable purchase homesand tabled an amendment in the Dail for the introduction of affordable housing zoning.

In June 2023, Cian O'Callaghan criticised the Government's 1-billion-euro underspend from the 2022 housing budget and accusing the Taoiseach of 'dressing up failure as success' in relation to their housing delivery.

Cian O'Callaghan described the lack of capital funding as 'hard to grasp' where there are record levels of homelessness, house prices and rents.

Cian O'Callaghan has called the levels of child homelessness a 'national disaster'.

On 1 July 2023, it was announced that Cian O'Callaghan had been appointed to the newly created role of deputy leader of the Social Democrats.

At the 2024 general election, Cian O'Callaghan was re-elected to the Dail.