35 Facts About Shane Ross

Shane Peter Nathaniel Ross was born on 11 July 1949 and is an Irish former Independent politician who served as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport from May 2016 to June 2020.

Shane Ross was a Teachta Dala for the Dublin Rathdown constituency from 2016 to 2020, and previously from 2011 to 2016 for the Dublin South constituency.

Shane Ross was a member of Seanad Eireann for the Dublin University from 1981 to 2011, until his election to Dail Eireann at the 2011 general election.

Shane Ross is a former business editor of the Sunday Independent.

Shane Ross was a Fine Gael Wicklow County Councillor, and a one-time Fine Gael general election candidate in the Wicklow constituency.

Shane Ross co-founded the Independent Alliance with Michael Fitzmaurice in 2015.

Shane Ross was re-elected to the 32nd Dail, and subsequently appointed by Taoiseach Enda Kenny as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in May 2016.

Shane Ross is the son of former Senator and prominent member of the legal fraternity, John N Ross, and the noted gardener and writer Ruth Isabel Cherrington.

Shane Ross was schooled at St Stephen's School, Dundrum, and Rugby School, before attending Trinity College Dublin, where he graduated with a degree in history and political science in 1971.

Shane Ross is married to Ruth Buchanan, a former presenter and journalist with RTE, Ireland's national broadcaster.

Shane Ross's son-in-law is Nick Webb, who succeeded him as Business Editor of the Sunday Independent.

Shane Ross was first elected to the Seanad in 1981, as an Independent candidate for the Dublin University constituency, and was re-elected on nine occasions, becoming the longest-serving member of the house.

Shane Ross stood unsuccessfully as an Independent candidate at the 1984 European Parliament election, for the Dublin constituency.

Shane Ross stood as a candidate for the party in the Wicklow constituency at the 1992 general election, but did not gain a seat, remaining instead in the Seanad where he sat as an Independent Senator following the 1997 election.

Shane Ross is one of Ireland's most visible business commentators, promoting free enterprise, small government and low taxes, and is widely identified as one of the most visible champions of laissez-faire capitalism in Irish politics, praising former Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy, as a "brilliant Minister in the boom years" and lauded McCreevy's controversial tax individualisation as "visionary".

Shane Ross promotes himself as standing up for small shareholders and consumers.

Shane Ross took the board of directors to task over the level of salaries, bonuses and fees being paid, and denounced a plan whereby senior management were to get share options at a value below the flotation price.

Shane Ross was sharply critical of the decision to sell the mobile phone arm Eircell to Vodafone and later sought the dismissal of 5 board members at the March 2001 AGM, citing poor share price performance and poor acquisitions.

At a shareholders' meeting in May 2005, Shane Ross highlighted the monopolistic practices of tolling agency NTR plc.

Shane Ross contrasted the conservative performance of the "establishment" Bank of Ireland with other financial institutions, notably Irish Nationwide Building Society and Anglo Irish Bank which he praised.

Shane Ross has criticised government inaction in voicing concerns about the Sellafield nuclear plant, and has called for stronger legal protection for whistleblowers in cases of fraud and corruption.

Shane Ross is frequently featured as a source by international news media, and has been cited as "one of Ireland's foremost financial commentators" by the Associated Press.

On 15 January 2011, during the course of a television interview, Shane Ross announced that he would stand in the Dublin South constituency at the next general election, which at that date had not been announced but was expected very soon.

Shane Ross asked why senior bondholders had to be treated in the same way as depositors.

In February 2013, Shane Ross spoke in the Dail against water fluoridation, referring to a Hot Press article he cited Declan Waugh whom he called "a well known scientist" and claimed fluoridation was the cause of Ireland's "high rates of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes".

Shane Ross claimed that Ireland had double the incidence of Down's syndrome of Northern Ireland as a result.

At the 2016 general election Shane Ross topped the poll in Dublin Rathdown, and was elected.

In December 2018 Shane Ross announced that the NTA was being tasked with setting up a dedicated National Cycling Office to provide cycling infrastructure.

Shane Ross launched the "Ireland's Hidden Heartlands" brand in April 2018.

Shane Ross insisted that there had to be a member independent of the OIC on any inquiry; Hickey resisted.

In November 2022, Shane Ross claimed that Fine Gael needed to be out of government "for the good of the party and the good of the country".

Shane Ross claimed that Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald would be next Taoiseach, calling her "a superstar" who left other politicians "trailing in her wake".

Shane Ross has written articles for the Irish Independent, UnHerd and the News Letter.

Shane Ross was then criticised for announcing increased funding for the Ireland women's national field hockey team following their second-place finish at the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup in August 2018, the timing being seen to indicate a publicity stunt on Shane Ross's part.

In mid-November 2018, Shane Ross tweeted a photograph of himself inside the stadium celebrating the Ireland rugby union team's victory over the All Blacks in Dublin; the photograph portrayed his tie poking through an open trouser fly.