Conor McGahon
Encyclopedia
Conor McGahon is a former Irish Solicitor
and retired Fine Gael
member of both Louth County Council
and Dundalk
Urban District Council. He headed the poll in his ward when elected to the seat vacated by his father Brendan McGahon
, a controversial Teachta Dala
(TD) for the constituency of Louth from 1982 until 2002 and became the youngest local politician in the Republic of Ireland when first elected in 1991 and the fifth consecutive member of his family to sit on the County Council.
McGahon was born in Newry
, County Down, Northern Ireland and was educated at the Marist College in Dundalk. He attended NUI Galway (then UCG
) where he became Auditor of the Law Society and graduated in 1986 with a BA in Legal & Political Science and again in 1988 with an LLB. He subsequently became a Solicitor and Law lecturer at the Dundalk Institute of Technology (then Dundalk RTC). He sat as a member of the inaugural Border Regional Authority
for a period of 2 years. He again ran for public office in 1994, taking a seat on Dundalk UDC from Sinn Féin
and was elected Chairman of the Arts Committee for the life of the Council. He sat along with his uncle Johnny who became the sixth member of the McGahon family to sit on the Town Council (previously the Board of Guardians) since 1898.
Though he did not express public support for his colourful father’s socially conservative views, he was once heavily criticised for adopting a similar stance on security, in his support of the Peace movement in Northern Ireland during a highly controversial debate in the Council Chamber. He held the position of Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the UDC before leaving practice and retiring from public life in 1999 when he consented to the removal of his name from the roll of solicitors.
He was recruited as legal advisor to Lord Ballyedmond of Mourne, Chairman and founder of veterinary pharmaceutical company Norbrook Laboratories Ltd (then Senator Edward Haughey), a Taoiseach’s appointee to Seanad Eireann, who served 2 terms of office. McGahon later worked for International Consulting firm Wolters Kluwer
as a Tribunal Advocate specialising in Discrimination Law. He went on to establish a consulting practice in Employment Law in Belfast with an office in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar.
A vegetarian and practising Buddhist of the SotoZen tradition, McGahon entered a Civil Partnership in Northern Ireland with his long term partner in the first year of its enactment in the UK and has become known as an active supporter of same-sex marriage rights and equality issues. He currently lives in Spain, on the Straits of Gibraltar.
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
and retired Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
member of both Louth County Council
Louth County Council
Louth County Council is the local authority which is responsible for County Louth in Ireland. The Council is responsible for Housing and Community, Roads and Transportation, Urban planning and Development, Amenity and Culture, and Environment. The head of the council has the title of Cathaoirleach...
and Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
Urban District Council. He headed the poll in his ward when elected to the seat vacated by his father Brendan McGahon
Brendan McGahon
Brendan McGahon is a former Irish politician in the Fine Gael party. He was a Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth....
, a controversial Teachta Dala
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
(TD) for the constituency of Louth from 1982 until 2002 and became the youngest local politician in the Republic of Ireland when first elected in 1991 and the fifth consecutive member of his family to sit on the County Council.
McGahon was born in Newry
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
, County Down, Northern Ireland and was educated at the Marist College in Dundalk. He attended NUI Galway (then UCG
UCG
UCG may refer to:* University of Montenegro * Underground coal gasification, a gasification process carried on in non-mined coal seams using injection and production wells drilled from the surface...
) where he became Auditor of the Law Society and graduated in 1986 with a BA in Legal & Political Science and again in 1988 with an LLB. He subsequently became a Solicitor and Law lecturer at the Dundalk Institute of Technology (then Dundalk RTC). He sat as a member of the inaugural Border Regional Authority
Border Regional Authority
The Border Regional Authority is the body charged with the government of the Border Region. It is one of eight statutory regions in Ireland at the level of NUTS-3...
for a period of 2 years. He again ran for public office in 1994, taking a seat on Dundalk UDC from Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
and was elected Chairman of the Arts Committee for the life of the Council. He sat along with his uncle Johnny who became the sixth member of the McGahon family to sit on the Town Council (previously the Board of Guardians) since 1898.
Though he did not express public support for his colourful father’s socially conservative views, he was once heavily criticised for adopting a similar stance on security, in his support of the Peace movement in Northern Ireland during a highly controversial debate in the Council Chamber. He held the position of Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the UDC before leaving practice and retiring from public life in 1999 when he consented to the removal of his name from the roll of solicitors.
He was recruited as legal advisor to Lord Ballyedmond of Mourne, Chairman and founder of veterinary pharmaceutical company Norbrook Laboratories Ltd (then Senator Edward Haughey), a Taoiseach’s appointee to Seanad Eireann, who served 2 terms of office. McGahon later worked for International Consulting firm Wolters Kluwer
Wolters Kluwer
Wolters Kluwer N.V. is a global information services and publishing company. The company provides products and services for professionals in the health, tax, accounting, corporate, financial services, legal and regulatory sectors...
as a Tribunal Advocate specialising in Discrimination Law. He went on to establish a consulting practice in Employment Law in Belfast with an office in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar.
A vegetarian and practising Buddhist of the SotoZen tradition, McGahon entered a Civil Partnership in Northern Ireland with his long term partner in the first year of its enactment in the UK and has become known as an active supporter of same-sex marriage rights and equality issues. He currently lives in Spain, on the Straits of Gibraltar.