Niall Andrews served as a Teachta Dala and Member of the European Parliament for the Fianna Fail party.
26 Facts About Niall Andrews
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Niall Andrews was educated at Synge Street CBS and Presentation College, Bray.
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Todd Andrews was a founder-member of Fianna Fail in 1926.
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Niall Andrews's mother, Mary Coyle, was a prominent member of Cumann na mBan.
5.
Niall Andrews initially worked as a journalist for the Irish Press, a newspaper highly aligned with Fianna Fail.
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Niall Andrews was first elected to Dail Eireann at the 1977 general election for the Dublin County South constituency and later for the Dublin South constituency.
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Niall Andrews held his seat at each subsequent election until he decided not to contest the 1987 general election.
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Niall Andrews believed Haughey was not only more capable than his rivals but uniquely equipped to address Ireland's pressing economic and social challenges, a view reinforced by Haughey's strong republican stance.
9.
Niall Andrews was Minister of State at the Department of the Environment with responsibility for Urban Renewal from October to December 1982.
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Niall Andrews was elected to the European Parliament in 1984 for the Dublin constituency and decided to concentrate on European politics instead of domestic.
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Much of Niall Andrews' focus in the European Parliament centred on his work with the Cooperation and Development Committee, where he was a persistent advocate for increased aid to developing countries.
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Niall Andrews argued that Europe bore a moral obligation to assist nations that had often suffered under colonial rule.
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Niall Andrews opposed capital punishment, supported contraception and the decriminalisation of homosexuality, but adhered to Fianna Fail party positions in Dail votes.
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Niall Andrews criticised the Irish justice system, contending that judges were disconnected from the realities faced by working-class defendants and lacked awareness of prison conditions.
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Niall Andrews described traditional court practices, such as the wearing of wigs, as outdated and intimidating.
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Niall Andrews was an outspoken critic of US foreign policy, especially during Ronald Reagan's presidency.
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Niall Andrews denounced American actions in Latin America, protested outside the US embassy in Dublin, and undertook a fact-finding mission to El Salvador.
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Niall Andrews was among the first to champion the causes of the Birmingham Six and Guildford Four.
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Niall Andrews remained critical of US foreign policy following the Cold War.
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Niall Andrews utilised his contacts in the Middle East to assist in securing the release of Western hostages held in Lebanon, including Brian Keenan and John McCarthy.
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Niall Andrews opposed the economic sanctions on Iraq implemented after the 1991 Gulf War, arguing they caused significant harm to civilians and deepened divisions in the region.
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Niall Andrews frequently visited Iraq, organised humanitarian aid shipments, and opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
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Niall Andrews took an interest in the case of the Colombia Three; Irish republicans arrested in Colombia in 2001 and accused of assisting the FARC, a designated narco-terrorist organisation.
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Niall Andrews' brother David Niall Andrews is a former TD and Minister for Foreign Affairs.
25.
Niall Andrews's son, Chris Andrews, is a Sinn Fein TD for Dublin Bay South.
26.
One of Niall Andrews's nephews, Barry Niall Andrews, is a Fianna Fail MEP for Dublin, while another nephew, Ryan Tubridy, is a television and radio presenter with RTE.