41 Facts About Simon Harris

Simon Harris was born on 17 October 1986 and is an Irish Fine Gael politician serving as Tanaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence since January 2025, having previously served as Taoiseach from 2024 to 2025.

Simon Harris has been leader of Fine Gael since 2024 and a TD for the Wicklow constituency since 2011.

Simon Harris was elected to Wicklow County Council in the 2009 local elections.

Simon Harris was elected to Dail Eireann at the 2011 general election, becoming the "baby of the Dail" at age 24, and was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Finance in 2014.

Simon Harris is the eldest of three children born to Bart, a taxi driver, and Mary Harris, a special needs assistant and Montessori teacher.

Simon Harris's sister was born on his third birthday, and his brother is eight years younger than him.

Simon Harris was educated at St David's Holy Faith Secondary School in Greystones, where he was active in drama and was head boy.

Simon Harris first became involved in local politics as a fifteen-year-old when he set up the North Wicklow Triple A Alliance to help the families of autistic children and children with attention deficit disorder.

Simon Harris was elected to Young Fine Gael's national executive in 2003.

Simon Harris began working as a parliamentary assistant to his future cabinet colleague Frances Fitzgerald in 2008, when she was a member of Seanad Eireann.

At the 2009 local elections, Simon Harris was elected to Wicklow County Council, with the highest percentage vote of any county councillor in Ireland, and to Greystones Town Council.

Simon Harris was a member of Wicklow County Council's Housing Strategic Policy Committee and Wicklow Vocational Educational Committee.

Simon Harris was elected to Dail Eireann in 2011, taking the third seat in the Wicklow constituency.

Simon Harris served on the Dail Public Accounts Committee and the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, and Reform.

Simon Harris was a member of the Oireachtas cross-party group on Mental Health, and introduced the Mental Health Bill 2013, in June 2013.

Simon Harris ran unsuccessfully as a Fine Gael candidate in the South constituency at the 2014 European Parliament election.

On 15 July 2014, Simon Harris was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Finance with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Public Procurement, and International Banking.

On 6 May 2016, Simon Harris was appointed to the cabinet as Minister for Health.

In 2017, Simon Harris was accused of "practising hypocrisy" over his stance on the Sisters of Charity's ownership of the National Maternity Hospital.

Simon Harris was re-appointed when Leo Varadkar succeeded Kenny as Taoiseach in June 2017.

Simon Harris was the minister responsible for the Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution, approved in a referendum, which removed the constitutional ban on abortion.

Simon Harris introduced the Health Act 2018 which permitted abortion under specified circumstances.

In 2018, Simon Harris intervened in the case of an 8-year-old Chinese boy who had been born in Dublin but was facing deportation.

On 20 February 2019, Simon Harris survived a motion of no-confidence over his handling of the rising costs of the new National Children's Hospital.

Simon Harris introduced the Health Act 2020, emergency legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which was enacted on 20 March 2020.

On 27 June 2020, Simon Harris was appointed as Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, leading a new department in the government led by Micheal Martin.

Simon Harris was the Fine Gael Director of Elections for councillor James Geoghegan's campaign in the 2021 Dublin Bay South by-election.

Simon Harris confirmed his intention to run for Fine Gael leader on the evening of 21 March 2024 on the Six One News.

Simon Harris received his appointment as Taoiseach by President Michael D Higgins shortly afterwards as the youngest in the history of the state.

Simon Harris dismissed British newspaper speculation that Ireland would join the Rwanda scheme, maintaining that Ireland would have its own immigration policy.

In September 2024, Simon Harris defended his statements linking homelessness and migration, by saying that the most common source of homelessness in Dublin was leaving direct provision.

On 8 November 2024, after returning from a European Council meeting in Hungary, Harris sought a dissolution of the 33rd Dail, which was granted by President Michael D Higgins, and scheduled a general election for 29 November.

Simon Harris dismissed her claims, leading to a tense exchange and his abrupt departure after she called him "not a good man".

Simon Harris rang her the following morning to apologise, admitting he had been "harsh" and should have given her more time.

Fine Gael deputy leader Helen McEntee defended Simon Harris, citing the long day of campaigning.

Simon Harris was re-elected to the Dail on the first count.

On 23 January 2025, Simon Harris was appointed as Tanaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence in the government led by Micheal Martin, following the 2024 general election.

In 2017, Simon Harris married Caoimhe Wade, a cardiac nurse, at St Patrick's Church in Kilquade.

Simon Harris's brother is autistic and runs the autism services charity AsIAm, which Simon Harris co-founded.

Simon Harris is noted for his social media presence, especially on TikTok, having been nicknamed the "TikTok Taoiseach".

Simon Harris used Instagram for live streams while Minister of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was cited by the Irish Examiner as a rare occasion in which a government minister took questions from the general public.