Olwyn Enright
Encyclopedia
Olwyn Enright is a former Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 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...

 politician. She served as a Teachta Dála
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 Laois–Offaly constituency, from 2002 to 2011.

Early life and education

Born in Birr
Birr
Birr is a town in County Offaly, Ireland. Once called Parsonstown, after the Parsons family who were local landowners and hereditary Earls of Rosse. It is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe....

, County Offaly
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...

, she is the daughter of Tom Enright
Tom Enright
Thomas W. Enright is a former Irish Fine Gael politician.Enright was born in Shinrone, County Offaly in 1940. He was educated at the Cistercian College, Roscrea, University College Dublin and the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland...

, who served as a Fine Gael TD and Senator for over thirty years until his retirement in 2002. She was educated in St. Brendan's Community School, Birr, and University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...

, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Law degree in 1995. She attended the Law Society of Ireland in Blackhall Place, Dublin, qualifying as a solicitor in 1999.

Her cousin Edmund Enright is better known as the Irish singer Mundy
Mundy
Mundy is an Irish singer-songwriter. 'Mundy' is a nickname given to Enright, as it not only refers to his name Edmund, but it is how he pronounces the word "Monday".-Biography:...

.

Political career

Enright served on Offaly County Council between 1999 and 2002. She was first elected to Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...

 at the 2002 general election
Irish general election, 2002
The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday, 17 May 2002 just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern...

, becoming the first female TD to represent the Laois–Offaly constituency. Within her first few weeks in the Dáil she was appointed Fine Gael spokesperson for Education and Science
Minister for Education and Science (Ireland)
The Minister for Education and Skills is the senior minister at the Department of Education and Skills in the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Education and Skills is Ruairi Quinn, TD...

.

In July 2005, Enright married Joe McHugh
Joe McHugh
Joe McHugh is an Irish Fine Gael politician. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Donegal North East constituency since May 2007.-Background and personal life:...

, who was then a 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...

 Senator. In the 2007 general election, McHugh was elected to the Dáil to represent the Donegal North East
Donegal North East (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Donegal North–East is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies...

 constituency. Enright retained her seat in Laois–Offaly, making them the third married couple to be elected to sit in the same Dáil.

Enright served as party spokesperson on Social and Family Affairs
Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Ireland)
The Minister for Social Protection is the senior minister at the Department of Social Protection in the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Social Protection is Joan Burton, TD.-Overview:...

 from 2007–2010. In June 2010, she supported Richard Bruton
Richard Bruton
Richard Bruton is an Irish Fine Gael politician and has been a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North Central constituency since 1982. He was appointed as Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation on 9 March 2011...

's leadership challenge to Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny is an Irish Fine Gael politician, and has been the Taoiseach since 2011. He has led Fine Gael since 2002. He served as Minister for Tourism and Trade from 1994 to 1997. He is also a two-term Vice President of the European People's Party.Kenny has been a Teachta Dála for Mayo since...

. Following Kenny's victory in a motion of confidence, Enright was not reappointed to the front bench.

Retirement from politics

On 30 August 2010, while pregnant with her second child, Enright announced that she would not seek to retain her seat at the next election, due to the pressures of juggling her family life and career. After 9 years of service, she retired with a once off lump sum payment of €129,800 and an annual pension of €22,542.
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