1. Josepha Madigan served as a Teachta Dala for the Dublin Rathdown constituency from 2016 to 2024.
21 Facts About Josepha Madigan
1. 2.
Josepha Madigan served as Minister for Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht from November 2017 to June 2020, and as Chair of the Committee on Budgetary Oversight from July 2016 to November 2017.
3.
Josepha Madigan attended Mount Anville Secondary School and Trinity College Dublin.
4.
Josepha Madigan is married to Finbarr Hayes, and they have two children.
5.
Josepha Madigan's father, Patrick Madigan, was a Fianna Fail County Councillor in Dublin, her mother, Patricia Madigan, was a barrister who had a background in Fine Gael.
6.
Josepha Madigan is certified as a mediator by the Mediators' Institute of Ireland and is a previous Council member of the MII.
7.
Josepha Madigan is a former Specialist Liaison Officer for Family Mediation in the MII.
8.
Josepha Madigan is the author of the first book in Ireland on mediation: Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Ireland, a handbook for family lawyers and their clients.
9.
Josepha Madigan issued a leaflet in 2014 claimed that providing accommodation for Travellers in her constituency would be "a waste of valuable resources".
10.
Josepha Madigan was elected to the 32nd Dail at the 2016 general election as a Fine Gael TD for the Dublin Rathdown constituency, defeating sitting Fine Gael TD Alan Shatter by nearly 1,000 votes.
11.
Josepha Madigan was appointed Chair of the Committee on Budgetary Oversight in July 2017.
12.
Josepha Madigan was a member of the Public Accounts Committee.
13.
Josepha Madigan introduced a private member's bill to reduce the waiting time for divorce in Ireland from four years to two, which was passed by the Dail.
14.
On 30 November 2017, Josepha Madigan was appointed to the cabinet as Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, in a reshuffle following the resignation of the Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald.
15.
Josepha Madigan was re-elected at the 2020 general election, taking the third seat behind Green Party Deputy Leader Catherine Martin and party colleague Neale Richmond.
16.
On 1 July 2020, Josepha Madigan was appointed by the new government as Minister of State at the Department of Education with special responsibility for special education and inclusion.
17.
On 14 January 2021, Josepha Madigan came under fire for describing children without additional needs as 'normal' while speaking in the Dail.
18.
On 20 January 2021, speaking on RTE's Today with Claire Byrne, Josepha Madigan compared children with additional needs not attending school to the mother and baby homes.
19.
Shortly after the first report of the Creeslough explosion on 7 October 2022, Josepha Madigan tweeted that she hoped "they find the culprits" and, after being criticised as irresponsible and insensitive, Josepha Madigan quickly deleted the tweet.
20.
On 22 March 2024, Josepha Madigan announced that she would resign as Minister of State and would not contest the next general election.
21.
In 2019, Josepha Madigan received widespread coverage for her role in the personal injury legal claim of Fine Gael politician, Maria Bailey.