34 Facts About Willie O'Dea

Willie O'Dea is an Irish Fianna Fail politician who has been a Teachta Dala for the Limerick City constituency since 2011, and previously from 1982 to 2011 for the Limerick East constituency.

Willie O'Dea has served as Minister for Defence from 2004 to 2010, and was a Minister of State in different departments from 1992 to 1994, and again from 1997 to 2004.

Willie O'Dea resigned as Minister for Defence due to a controversy over a defamation case.

Willie O'Dea was educated at the Patrician Brothers College in Ballyfin, County Laois, and University College Dublin where he studied law.

Willie O'Dea worked as both a barrister and as an accountant before embarking on a career in politics.

Willie O'Dea lectured in the law faculties of both University College Dublin and the National Institute of Higher Education, Limerick.

Willie O'Dea writes regularly for the Sunday Independent and occasionally for other national newspapers.

Willie O'Dea first held political office as a Fianna Fail member of Limerick County Council.

Willie O'Dea first stood for election to Dail Eireann in Limerick East at the 1981 general election, but was unsuccessful.

Willie O'Dea was elected to the Dail on his second attempt at the February 1982 general election, capturing Fianna Fail's second seat.

When O'Malley founded Progressive Democrats in 1985 and left Fianna Fail, Willie O'Dea became the only Fianna Fail TD in the five-seat Limerick East constituency.

Willie O'Dea was appointed as a Minister of State at the Department of Justice.

Willie O'Dea held these positions until December 1994, when the government collapsed.

Willie O'Dea oversaw reform and increased investment in adult education and back to school initiatives, starting with the launch of Green Paper in November 1998.

In September 2004, Willie O'Dea was appointed Minister for Defence in a cabinet reshuffle.

Willie O'Dea's tenure commenced as the army deafness compensation issue was starting to come to an end.

In November 2005, Willie O'Dea was photographed during a media event at the Curragh Camp pointing an automatic pistol at a photographer.

Willie O'Dea apologised saying that it was not his intention to glamorise gun crime.

Willie O'Dea presided over Ireland's second tour in Lebanon in late 2006, as part of UNIFIL 2 and participation in the EUFOR mission to Chad.

On 5 February 2010, Willie O'Dea announced that the government would not deliver its commitments to fund the Limerick Regeneration project.

Mr Willie O'Dea had been non-executive chairman of Formation Group since mid-2014.

On 10 March 2009, Willie O'Dea alleged in an interview with the Limerick Leader that a brothel had been operating in a house owned by Nessan Quinlivan, brother of Maurice Quinlivan who at the time was a Sinn Fein candidate in Limerick for the upcoming June 2009 local elections.

On 14 April 2009, Willie O'Dea signed an affidavit to the courts, denying making such allegations.

In December 2009, Willie O'Dea settled the case out of court and apologised to Quinlivan for making "false and defamatory statements" during the interview, after a tape recording of the interview emerged.

The Green Party, coalition partners in government with Willie O'Dea's party, voted with Fianna Fail on the motion.

However, Green Party Chairman Senator Dan Boyle wrote on Twitter, that he has "no confidence" in Willie O'Dea and declaring him to be "compromised".

On 18 February 2010, Willie O'Dea resigned as Minister for Defence.

Willie O'Dea said he decided to resign when it became clear that the Green Party would no longer support the Government if he was to stay in office.

Willie O'Dea was appointed to Micheal Martin's frontbench as Spokesperson for Communications, as part of the Fianna Fail campaign for the 2011 general election.

Willie O'Dea was the Fianna Fail Spokesperson on Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation from April 2011 to July 2012.

Willie O'Dea was re-elected again at the 2020 general election, with a reduced vote share.

Willie O'Dea is understood to have raised concerns about the direction of the Fianna Fail party under the leadership of Micheal Martin at internal party meetings but has so far declined to do so in public.

In 2023, Willie O'Dea voiced his criticism of the decision by the Minister for Justice, Simon Harris, to grant an application by convicted killer Logan Jackson, to move him from Limerick Prison to a jail in the Great Britain, so as to be nearer his family.

Willie O'Dea supported the legal challenge by Tracey Tully, the mother of the murdered champion Irish boxer, Kevin Sheehy.