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Jennifer Carroll MacNeill

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Jennifer Carroll MacNeill
TD
Carroll MacNeill in 2024
Minister of State
2024–European Affairs
2022–2024Finance
Teachta Dála
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 2020
ConstituencyDún Laoghaire
Personal details
Born
Jennifer Carroll

(1980-09-05) 5 September 1980 (age 44)
Dublin, Ireland
Political partyFine Gael
Spouse
​
(m. 2010)​
Children1
EducationLoreto Abbey, Dalkey[citation needed]
Alma mater

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (née Carroll; born 5 September 1980[1]) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister of State for European Affairs since 2024. She previously served as Minister of State at the Department of Finance from 2022 to 2024. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency since the 2020 general election.[2][3][4] She has worked as a solicitor and barrister within the public service and also a government special advisor.[4][5]

Early life

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She studied Economics and Social Science at Trinity College Dublin, graduating in 2002 with joint honours in Political Science and Business.[6] She later completed a PhD in public policy and Political Science at University College Dublin, with a thesis entitled Institutional Change in Judicial Selection Systems: Ireland in Comparative Perspective, which won the 2015 Basil Chubb Prize for best PhD thesis at an Irish university in 2014.[7][8][9]

Political career

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Advisor

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Carroll MacNeill was a policy advisor to Frances Fitzgerald from April 2011 until June 2013. She then worked for the then Minister for Justice and Equality Alan Shatter from September 2013 until his resignation in May 2014. She subsequently took a break from politics, returning in October 2017 to advise Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Eoghan Murphy on the National Planning Framework and the creation of the Land Development Agency. She worked with Murphy's office until January 2019 when she left to work for a Public Relations firm.[7]

Councillor

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In May 2019, she was elected to Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council for the Killiney–Shankill local electoral area,[10] a position she held until her election as a TD in February 2020.[11]

Teachta Dála

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In early 2020, Carroll MacNeill was selected internally by the Dún Laoghaire branch of Fine Gael to replace Maria Bailey on the ticket for the 2020 general election, following "Swinggate", a controversy revolving around a dubious legal claim made by Bailey that resulted in her subsequent deselection.[7] At the general election in February 2020, she was elected on the 8th count.[12][13] Frank McNamara was co-opted to Carroll MacNeill's seat on Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council following her election to the Dáil.[14]

In December 2020, 19-year-old Fine Gael member Dylan Hutchinson dropped his campaign for a council seat after being confronted on a Dublin beach by Jennifer Carroll MacNeill about an alleged derogatory social media post he made about a previous TD. Hutchinson was nominated as a candidate to fill a vacancy on Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council after Barry Ward was elected to the Seanad in April 2020.[15]

Carroll MacNeill was the Vice Chair of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party and Spokesperson for Equality. She was also Vice Chair of the Justice Committee as well as a member of the Public Accounts Committee, the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement Committee, the Gender Equality Committee and the Autism Committee and was also a member of the Special Dáil Committee on Covid prior to its disbandment into sectoral Committees.[16][17][18][19][20]

In December 2022, she was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Finance with special responsibility for Financial Services, Credit Unions and Insurance following the appointment of Leo Varadkar as Taoiseach.[21]

In April 2024, she was appointed as Minister of State for European Affairs, after Simon Harris became Taoiseach.[22]

In May 2021, Carroll MacNeill apologised for delivering a speech on an online event on 8 March hosted by Iranian political-militant organization the Mujahedin-e-Khalq to mark International Women's Day, saying she had been asked by a constituent to attend the event, and was not informed of any connection between the event and the MEK.[23][24]

At the 2024 general election, Carroll MacNeill was re-elected to the Dáil.

Political views and profile

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Carroll MacNeill has been profiled several times by The Phoenix political magazine. The Phoenix has suggested that since become a TD in 2020, Carroll MacNeill has been openly positioning herself as a possible future leader of Fine Gael.[25] The Phoenix has described Carroll MacNeill as fiscally conservative and being in favour of means-tested welfare payments as well as low taxes.[25]

Carroll MacNeill has advocated for and highlighted the issues surrounding victims of domestic abuse, such as coercive control. She has been a long-term advocate for coercive control laws. She regularly handed out leaflets at the popular piers in Dun Laoghaire as a message to tell women that they were not alone and to tell perpetrators that this behavior was not acceptable.[26] In her role as Minister of State at the Department of Finance with responsibility for Credit Unions, Financial Services and Insurance, Carroll MacNeill wrote to the organisations to seek their input on a wider credit union bill regarding coercive financial control.[27] Carroll MacNeill said coercive control and domestic and gender-based violence must be treated as a whole-of-government issue.

Carroll MacNeill favours a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestine conflict; and was a member of both the Oireachtas Friends of Israel group and the Palestinian friendship group.[28] Whilst Minister for European Affairs, she said Ireland recognising the State of Palestine would help move forward with the self-determination of the Palestinian people.[29] She represented the Irish position at the European General Affairs Council meeting.[30]

Caroll MacNeill favours secularism in education. In a 2024 Hot Press interview she stated that she opposed the Catholic Church's "Flourish" programme for primary schools, describing its content on topics like homosexuality as offensive and inappropriate for a secular education system. Advocating for a new curriculum, she emphasised the importance of teaching personhood, boundaries, and consent, independent of religious doctrine. In the same interview, Carroll MacNeill strongly criticised the Catholic Church for its handling of clerical child abuse scandals, calling their actions disgraceful and their cover-ups appalling. She insisted on full accountability, reparations, and transparency from the Church. Reflecting on her own sex education, she described it as inadequate and influenced by confusing religious frameworks.[31] In July 2022 Carroll MacNeill criticised the pace of the reform of sex education for primary school students, suggesting things were being deliberately "slow-walked".[32]

Harassment

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In April 2021, Carroll MacNeill appeared on the panel of the news discussion show The Tonight Show on Virgin Media Ireland. During and after the show, a number of comments on Twitter mocked Carroll MacNeill's physical appearance, which prompted Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane to push back and ask on Twitter "Surely you could make a political point without referring to a person’s appearance. Poor form". Carroll MacNeill thanked Cullinane for his intervention.[33]

In 2022, Gerard Culhane of County Limerick was found guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of sexually harassing Carroll MacNeill, sending her 10 sexually explicit images and 3 sexually explicit videos, between December 2019 and March 2020, which overlapped with her 2020 general election campaign. On Christmas Day 2019, Culhane sent Carroll MacNeill an image of herself in a swimsuit accompanied by the text "You look so sexy Jen. What a great body you have", leading Carroll MacNeill to fear for her safety.[34] Culhane was given a one-year suspended sentence and ordered to stay away from Leinster House as well as to never contact Carroll MacNeill again.[35]

In 2023, it emerged a second man had begun harassing Carroll MacNeill, once again prompting the involvement of the Garda Síochána. In the aftermath, the Gardaí issued general advice to all TDs about their personal safety.[36]

Author

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Carroll MacNeill is the author of The Politics of Judicial Selection in Ireland, published in 2016 by the Four Courts Press.[37][38][4][39] Her thesis was given an academic award before being published as a book.[40] David Gwynn Morgan of The Irish Times said of it; "this book by an author of unusual but apt pedigree packs in a lot of new, useful information in a field crying out for it. It is also timely and so is likely to be influential".[41][5]

Personal life

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She is married to former Irish rugby player Hugo MacNeill, the former managing director of Goldman Sachs Investment Banking in Ireland. The couple have one son.[42] [31]

References

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  1. ^ Ryan, Tim (2020). Nealon's Guide to the 33rd Dáil and 26th Seanad. The Irish Times. p. 85.
  2. ^ "Jennifer Carroll MacNeill". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Maria Bailey's substitute: who is Jennifer Carroll-MacNeill?". independent. 14 November 2019. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "New book to examine politics of judicial selection in Ireland". Irish Legal News. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  5. ^ a b "The politics of judicial selection in Ireland". Four Courts Press. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  6. ^ "NOTABLE ALUMNI". www.tcd.ie. Trinity College Dublin. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "YOUNG BLOOD: JENNIFER CARROLL MACNEILL". The Phoenix. 27 February 2020. Archived from the original on 28 February 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Basil Chubb prize". PSAI. Archived from the original on 31 December 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Institutional change in judicial selection systems : Ireland in comparative perspective". library.ucd.ie. OCLC 1292673883. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Local election – 24 May 2019 – Killiney–Shankill LEA" (PDF). Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. 24 May 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Jennifer Carroll MacNeill". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  12. ^ Kelly, Olivia (9 February 2020). "Dún Laoghaire results: Green's Smyth 'overwhelmed' at securing seat". Irish Times. Dublin. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Election 2020: Dún Laoghaire". Irish Times. Dublin. 9 February 2020. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  14. ^ Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council [@dlrcc] (24 February 2020). "At a Special Council Meeting tonight, Councillors co-opted three new Councillors following vacancies created by the Dail elections" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 5 June 2021 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ Tutty, Sonja. "Fine Gael council candidate Dylan Hutchinson confronted by Jennifer Carroll MacNeill over derogatory Snapchat post". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  16. ^ Oireachtas, Houses of the (6 November 2024). "Jennifer Carroll MacNeill – Houses of the Oireachtas". www.oireachtas.ie. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  17. ^ "Joint Committee on Justice debate - Tuesday, 18 May 2021". Oireachtas. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  18. ^ "COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS debate - Thursday, 7 Oct 2021". Oireachtas.ie. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  19. ^ "Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement debate - Tuesday, 1 Jun 2021". Oireachtas.ie. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Special Committee on Covid-19 Response debate - Tuesday, 29 Sep 2020". Oireachtas.ie. 29 September 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  21. ^ "Minister of State appointments". gov.ie. Department of the Taoiseach. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  22. ^ Quann, Jack. "Ireland needs to have 'pan-European defence conversation' - MacNeill". Newstalk. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Jennifer Carroll MacNeill apologises for address to 'cult-like' Iranian group Mujahedin-e Khalq". Irish Independent. 30 May 2021. Archived from the original on 31 May 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  24. ^ "Mujahadeen-e-Khalq (MEK)". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  25. ^ a b "PROFILE: JENNIFER CARROLL MACNEILL". The Phoenix. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  26. ^ "What is coercive control, how can you spot it and how can we change culture? - Extra.ie". 28 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  27. ^ Loughlin, Elaine (23 February 2023). "Credit unions could be used in fight against coercive control". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  28. ^ Finn, Christina (21 April 2024). "'I joined the Oireachtas Israeli and Palestinian friendship groups — but I'm no longer involved', says junior minister". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  29. ^ "Recognition will help move forward Palestinian self-determination - MacNeill". 22 May 2024.
  30. ^ "Minister Carroll MacNeill to attend meeting of the General Affairs Council (GAC) in Brussels, 24 September". www.gov.ie (in Irish). 24 September 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  31. ^ a b O'Toole, Jason (24 May 2024). "Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: "I'm not going to fit into somebody else's artificially constructed culture war"". Hot Press. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  32. ^ O'Brien, Carl (3 July 2022). "Fine Gael TD calls for updated sex education at primary level to be expedited". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  33. ^ McGrath, Graham (22 April 2021). "Sinn Fein TD defends Fine Gael's Jennifer Carroll MacNeill after she's trolled online for her appearance". Extra.ie. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  34. ^ Greaney, Frank (11 May 2022). "Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: Online harassment left me in fear for first time". Newstalk. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  35. ^ McLean, Sonya (21 October 2022). "Limerick man who sent sexually explicit videos to TD gets suspended sentence". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  36. ^ Phelan, Ciara (9 January 2023). "Politicians advised to avoid leaving or returning home at exactly the same times". The Irish Examiner. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  37. ^ MacNeill, Jennifer Carroll (2016). The Politics of Judicial Selection in Ireland. Four Courts Press. ISBN 978-1-84682-597-2.
  38. ^ "The Politics of Judicial Selection in Ireland by Jennifer Carroll MacNeill - Irish Interest - Find Books From or About Ireland". www.irishinterest.ie. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  39. ^ Ward, James (27 June 2017). "Senior barrister welcomes Judicial Appointments Bill". irishmirror. Archived from the original on 21 November 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  40. ^ "'I've slept in every hospital corner, caring for my son' - Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, the FG replacement for Maria Bailey". independent. 8 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  41. ^ "The Politics of Judicial Selection in Ireland review: thorough and fair". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  42. ^ "Maria Bailey's substitute: who is Jennifer Carroll-MacNeill?". independent. 14 November 2019. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
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Political offices
Preceded by Minister of State at the Department of Finance
2022–2024 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of State for European Affairs
2024–present 		Incumbent
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