David Cullinane

David Cullinane (born 4 July 1974) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Waterford constituency since the 2016 general election. He previously served as a Senator for the Labour Panel from 2011 to 2016.[1]

Socialist Party poster in Dublin 2020 advertising Cullinane as a speaker
David Cullinane

TD
Teachta Dála
Assumed office
February 2016
ConstituencyWaterford
Senator
In office
27 April 2011 – 26 February 2016
ConstituencyLabour Panel
Personal details
Born (1974-07-04) 4 July 1974
Waterford, Ireland
NationalityIrish
Political partySinn Féin
Spouse(s)Kathleen Funchion
(m. 2007; div. 2013)
Children2
Alma materWaterford Institute of Technology

Cullinane was born in Waterford in 1974.[2] He was elected to Waterford City Council at the 2004 local elections and retained his seat at the 2009 local elections.[3] He was married to Kathleen Funchion, who is a Sinn Féin TD for Carlow–Kilkenny.

He became a member of Seanad Éireann in April 2011, sitting as a Senator for the Labour Panel.[4] The Irish Times described him in the Seanad as "a frequent, informed and often abrasive contributor across a wide range of areas, with a keen attention to the nuances of legislation".[5]

He unsuccessfully contested the Waterford constituency at the 2002, 2007 and 2011 general elections, before winning a seat in 2016. He was re-elected in 2020, when his 20,596 first preference votes amounted to 1.95 quotas,[3] and was the highest ever recorded in the constituency's history.[6]

Cullinane drew criticism on election night when a 30-second video uploaded to Twitter showed him ending his election victory speech with the phrases "up the Republic, Up the Ra and Tiocfaidh ár lá".[7][8][9] When questioned about the appropriateness of using these phrases associated with support for the IRA, Cullinane stated: "Yesterday was a very emotional day for me . . . It was a long count and obviously we were very excited and very proud of the vote we got yesterday in Waterford. The 30-second clip was part of a longer speech that I gave where I was reflecting back on the hunger strikes, reflecting back on the fact that Kevin Lynch stood in the Waterford constituency in 1981. He was someone who inspired me and inspired I think many republicans. The comments were made in that context."[10]

See also

References
  1. "David Cullinane". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  2. Collins, Stephen (2011). Nealon's Guide to the 31st Dáil and 24th Seanad. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. p. 207. ISBN 9780717150595.
  3. "David Cullinane". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020.
  4. "Election 2016: David Cullinane". RTÉ News. 27 February 2016. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020.
  5. D'Arcy, Ciarán; O'Halloran, Marie (28 February 2016). "Profile: David Cullinane (SF)". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020.
  6. Murphy, Darragh (10 February 2020). "Waterford: Fine Gael fails to win general election seat in constituency for first time". Irish Times. Dublin. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  7. "'Up the Republic, up the RA and tiocfaidh ár lá' - Sinn Féin TD (full video)". Irish Times. Dublin. 11 February 2020. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  8. Walsh, John (11 February 2020). "Sinn Fein leader warns new MPs over IRA slogans". Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  9. "Sinn Fein MP David Cullinane defends 'up the 'Ra' election shout". Sky News. 11 February 2020. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  10. McGee, Harry; Leahy, Pat (10 February 2020). "Sinn Féin's David Cullinane defends shouting 'Up the 'Ra' after election". Irish Times. Dublin. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
Oireachtas
Preceded by
Paudie Coffey
Ciara Conway
John Deasy
John Halligan		 Teachta Dála for Waterford
2016–present
With: Mary Butler
John Deasy
John Halligan		 Incumbent
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