1. Daniel Healy-Rae was born on 16 July 1954 and is an Irish independent politician who has been a Teachta Dala for the Kerry constituency since the 2016 general election.
18 Facts About Danny Healy-Rae
1. 2.
Danny Healy-Rae is a son of Jackie Healy-Rae and brother of fellow constituency TD Michael Healy-Rae.
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Danny Healy-Rae has worked in plant hire and owns a pub in Kilgarvan, businesses associated with the Healy-Rae family.
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Danny Healy-Rae was co-opted on to Kerry County Council in 2003 representing the Killarney Local electoral area.
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Danny Healy-Rae replaced his father, Jackie Healy-Rae, who was forced to resign his seat following the end of the dual mandate.
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Danny Healy-Rae was re-elected to the council in the 2004,2009 and 2014 Local Elections.
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Danny Healy-Rae was first elected to Dail Eireann in the 2016 general election in the newly-formed constituency of Kerry.
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Danny Healy-Rae was re-elected to the Dail in the 2024 general election and along with his brother, Michael, negotiated with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael on a programme for government.
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Danny Healy-Rae has garnered a reputation for being one of Irish politics' outspoken figures, and has courted controversy on a number of occasions.
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In November 2019, Danny Healy-Rae gained attention for proposing 'drink-drive permits' for people in rural Ireland.
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Danny Healy-Rae proposed that this would help ease rural isolation and keep pubs open, allowing drivers to have two or three pints of beer before being allowed to drive home on designated roads.
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Danny Healy-Rae began to promote climate change denial during 2016, when he stated during an interview with Hot Press magazine that his views about the climate crisis were based on the words of the Bible, claiming that the story of Noah's Ark showed that weather events had fluctuated throughout the centuries.
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Danny Healy-Rae stated in the Dail that "God above is in charge of the weather and we here can't do anything about it" during a debate on the subject.
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In July 2021, Danny Healy-Rae courted controversy when his pub was at the centre of an alleged breach of COVID-19 regulations after video and images were shared on social media showing a large crowd gathered inside the pub as part of a wedding celebration.
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The footage showed a large gathering of people celebrating without wearing face masks, with Danny Healy-Rae pulling a pint at the bar during a time when the Irish government had implemented controls on the number of people able to gather indoors due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
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Danny Healy-Rae refused to comment on the Garda investigation into the incident, as did his brother, Michael, who was present at the party.
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Danny Healy-Rae opposes abortion and was a prominent commentator against changing legislation during the 2018 Irish abortion referendum.
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Danny Healy-Rae has repeatedly affirmed that he is against same-sex marriage and same-sex adoption, calling it unnatural for a gay couple to adopt a child.