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David Cullinane

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David Cullinane
TD
Cullinane in 2021
Teachta Dála
Assumed office
February 2016
ConstituencyWaterford
Senator
In office
27 April 2011 – 26 February 2016
ConstituencyLabour Panel
Personal details
Born (1974-07-04) 4 July 1974 (age 50)
Waterford, Ireland
Political partySinn Féin
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2007; div. 2013)​
Children2
Alma materWaterford Institute of Technology

David Cullinane (born 4 July 1974) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Waterford constituency since the 2016 general election. He previously served as a Senator for the Labour Panel from 2011 to 2016.[1]

Cullinane was born in Waterford in 1974.[2] He was elected to Waterford City Council at the 2004 local elections and retained his seat at the 2009 local elections.[3] He was married to Kathleen Funchion, who is a Sinn Féin MEP for South.[4]

He became a member of Seanad Éireann in April 2011, sitting as a Senator for the Labour Panel.[5] The Irish Times described him in the Seanad as "a frequent, informed and often abrasive contributor across a wide range of areas, with a keen attention to the nuances of legislation".[6]

He unsuccessfully contested the Waterford constituency at the 2002, 2007 and 2011 general elections, before winning a seat in 2016. He was re-elected in 2020, when his 20,596 first preference votes amounted to 1.95 quotas,[3] and was the highest ever recorded in the constituency's history.[7]

Cullinane drew criticism on election night when a 30-second video uploaded to Twitter showed him ending his election victory speech with the phrases "up the Republic, Up the 'Ra and Tiocfaidh ár lá".[8][9][10] When questioned about the appropriateness of using these phrases associated with support for the IRA, Cullinane stated: "Yesterday was a very emotional day for me . . . It was a long count and obviously we were very excited and very proud of the vote we got yesterday in Waterford. The 30-second clip was part of a longer speech that I gave where I was reflecting back on the hunger strikes, reflecting back on the fact that Kevin Lynch stood in the Waterford constituency in 1981. He was someone who inspired me and inspired I think many republicans. The comments were made in that context."[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "David Cullinane". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  2. ^ Collins, Stephen (2011). Nealon's Guide to the 31st Dáil and 24th Seanad. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. p. 207. ISBN 9780717150595.
  3. ^ a b "David Cullinane". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Profile: Kathleen Funchion (SF)". The Irish Times. 28 February 2016. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Election 2016: David Cullinane". RTÉ News. 27 February 2016. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020.
  6. ^ D'Arcy, Ciarán; O'Halloran, Marie (28 February 2016). "Profile: David Cullinane (SF)". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020.
  7. ^ Murphy, Darragh (10 February 2020). "Waterford: Fine Gael fails to win general election seat in constituency for first time". Irish Times. Dublin. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  8. ^ "'Up the Republic, up the RA and tiocfaidh ár lá' - Sinn Féin TD (full video)". Irish Times. Dublin. 11 February 2020. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  9. ^ Walsh, John (11 February 2020). "Sinn Fein leader warns new MPs over IRA slogans". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Sinn Fein MP David Cullinane defends 'up the 'Ra' election shout". Sky News. 11 February 2020. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  11. ^ McGee, Harry; Leahy, Pat (10 February 2020). "Sinn Féin's David Cullinane defends shouting 'Up the 'Ra' after election". Irish Times. Dublin. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
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