Sean McEniff

Sean McEniff (January 1936 – 21 April 2017)[1] was an Irish businessman and Fianna Fáil politician from County Donegal. He was a member of Donegal County Council, representing the Donegal Electoral Area.[2][3] At the time of his death in 2017, he was the longest serving councillor in Ireland.[4]

Sean McEniff
Donegal County Councillor
In office
28 June 1967 – 21 April 2017
ConstituencyDonegal electoral area
Personal details
BornJanuary 1936
County Donegal, Ireland
Died21 April 2017(2017-04-21) (aged 81)
Dublin, Ireland
Political partyFianna Fáil
ResidenceBundoran
OccupationHotelier, local politician

He was first elected to Donegal County Council in 1967 and was returned every time until the final election before his death, with the exception of 1979 when he stood in the 1979 European Parliament election in the Connacht–Ulster, though was not elected.[5] In 1985, McEniff was featured in an edition of Today Tonight entitled "Law and Order in Donegal".[6][7] He was Director of Bord Fáilte between 1993 and 1998. He was also named Donegal Person of the Year in 1996.[8]

McEniff was the owner of the Tyrconnell Group, an Irish hotel chain. In 2007, Tyrconnell merged with the Brian McEniff Hotel Group, owned by his brother, Brian McEniff, to form McEniff Hotels.[9] The Dublin branch of McEniff's hotel chain was picketed by protesters in 2013, after he made comments about Irish Travellers.[10][11][12] In 2009, he backed a controversial proposal by the Mayor of Donegal to erect a memorial to Louis Mountbatten and the victims of the bombing at Mullaghmore.[13]

In 2016, McEniff issued a public statement through his solicitors in which he denied using his political influence to prevent Gardaí investigating the disappearance of Mary Boyle from questioning a suspect.[14]

McEniff died at the Mater Private Hospital in Dublin on 21 April 2017.[4][15] He had been in an induced coma after collapsing into water whilst on holiday in Puerto Rico de Gran Canaria in October 2016.[16]

References
  1. Daly, Michael (24 May 2014). "The Donegal Electoral Area Independents to the fore". Donegal Democrat. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  2. "Donegal Electoral Area". Donegal County Council. Archived from the original on 25 April 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  3. "Sean McEniff". Fianna Fáil. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  4. McMahon, Cathal (21 April 2017). "Ireland's longest serving councillor dies in hospital, six months after holiday accident". Irish Independent.
  5. "ElectionsIreland". ElectionsIreland.com. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  6. "Boiling Over". Village. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  7. "Law and Order in Donegal - Today Tonight 1985". Today Tonight (RTÉ). Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  8. "FF councillor criticised for anti-Traveller comments: "You wouldn't want them beside you and I don't want them beside me," Fianna Fáil councillor Sean McEniff told a local radio station in Donegal". TheJournal.ie. 17 February 2013. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  9. "Jurys Doyle sells two hotels to McEniff Group". RTE.ie. 1 July 2002. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  10. "Picket against Fianna Fáil Councillor Sean McEniff". 15 February 2013. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  11. "FF councillor criticised for anti-Traveller comments". The Journal. 27 January 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  12. "Picket of Cllr. Sean McEniff's Hotel (Dublin)". 14 February 2013. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  13. "Councillors divided on Mountbatten memorial". Derry Journal. 27 August 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  14. "Sean McEniff says he is not politician linked to Mary Boyle case". Irish Times. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  15. "Sadness around Donegal as Sean McEniff's life and times are recalled". Donegal Democrat. 21 April 2017.
  16. McKinney, Seamus (4 November 2016). "Veteran Donegal politician Sean McEniff 'in induced coma' after holiday accident". The Irish News.


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