Dáire Hughes
Dáire Hughes (born 1989 or 1990) is an Irish politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Newry and Armagh since 2024. He began his career being coopted onto Newry and Mourne District Council as part of the Sinn Féin party and chosen as mayor despite not being elected by the public.[2] Following an unsuccessful subsequent election he lost his election bid.
Early life and education
Hughes is from the Meadow in Newry, Northern Ireland. He was educated at St Patrick's Primary School and St Colman's College before attending Queen's University Belfast in Belfast.[3]
Hughes has served as a Union representative and has worked in the community voluntary sector in Newry and Armagh.[3]
Political Career
He was coopted onto Newry and Mourne District Council for Sinn Féin, and chosen by the party as their youngest-ever mayor on the council despite not being elected by the public.[3] After the council was redistricted into the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council he failed to secure his seat and lost it in the subsequent election despite serving as mayor.[4]
After losing Sinn Féin's seat on the council, Hughes moved to Brussels where he worked as an assistant to Sinn Féin MEP Martina Anderson who was elected in 2014 alongside Matt Carthy, Lynn Boylan and Liadh Ní Riada. He then became a political manager for Sinn Féin in the European Parliament until 2019 when Sinn Féin lost half its MEPs. Despite these losses under his management, he was given a post as the party's deputy general secretary.[3]
2024-present
In May 2024, Sinn Féin announced that Hughes would run in the 2024 United Kingdom general election, to succeed retiring Sinn Féin politician Mickey Brady as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Newry and Armagh, historically one of Sinn Féin's safest and strongest constituencies.[5] Hughes won the seat with 22,299 votes 15,493 more than Pete Byrne of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, the next highest performing candidate.[6] Hughes received 2,012 more votes than Brady received in the previous election.[4]
In April 2025, Hughes travelled as part of a Sinn Féin Parliamentary delegation to Dublin, Ireland to promote a "Shared Island Fund" to support developments across both Northern Ireland and Ireland.[7]
References
- ^ McKenna, Micheal (11 June 2014). "Dáire Hughes elected Mayor of Newry & Mourne". Armagh I. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ https://newrychamber.com/mayor-og/
- ^ a b c d O'Hare, Columba (27 May 2024). "Dáire Hughes selected by Sinn Féin to Contest Westminster Election". Newry.ie. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ a b Graham, Seanín (5 July 2024). "Sinn Féin's Dáire Hughes takes Newry and Armagh seat with ease". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ "Former Mayor of Newry and Mourne, Dáire Hughes, selected to be Sinn Féin candidate in Westminster election". Newry Reporter. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "Newry and Armagh - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "Sinn Féin MPs discuss 'enormous potential' of Shared Island Fund". Newry Reporter. 4 April 2025. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
