Donie Cassidy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Donie Cassidy
|
|
|---|---|
| Leader of the Seanad | |
| In office 3 July 2007 – 25 May 2011 |
|
| Taoiseach | |
| Preceded by | Mary O'Rourke |
| Succeeded by | Maurice Cummins |
| In office 17 September 1997 – 17 May 2002 |
|
| Taoiseach | Bertie Ahern |
| Preceded by | Maurice Manning |
| Succeeded by | Mary O'Rourke |
| Senator | |
| In office 23 June 2007 – 25 May 2011 |
|
| In office 13 May 1982 – 17 May 2002 |
|
| Constituency | Labour Panel |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office May 2002 – May 2007 |
|
| Constituency | Westmeath |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 September 1945 Castlepollard, County Westmeath, Ireland |
| Political party | Fianna Fáil |
| Spouse |
Anne Geraghty
(m. 1978) |
| Children | 4 |
Daniel "Donie" Cassidy (born 15 September 1945) is a former Irish politician. He was a member of the Fianna Fáil political party. He served as the Leader of the Seanad from 2007 to 2011.
Mr. Cassidy was also a Senator for the Labour Panel for many years. He was a Senator from 1982 to 2002 and again from 2007 to 2011. Before that, he was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Westmeath area from 2002 to 2007.
Early Life and Career
Donie Cassidy was born in a town called Castlepollard in County Westmeath, Ireland. Before he became a politician, he was well-known in the music world. He played the saxophone in a type of music group called a show band.
Later, he became a manager for musicians. He managed a popular singing group called Foster and Allen. This duo was very successful in Ireland and in other countries too.
Political Journey
Donie Cassidy first became involved in politics in 1982. He was elected as a Senator for the Labour Panel with the Fianna Fáil party. The Seanad is part of the Irish parliament.
He also worked for his local community. From 1985 to 2003, he was a member of Westmeath County Council. This council helps run local services in County Westmeath. He left the council when a rule changed, meaning politicians could not hold both a national and local role at the same time.
In 2002, Mr. Cassidy was elected to Dáil Éireann. The Dáil is the main part of the Irish parliament. He became a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Westmeath area. He won this seat in the 2002 Irish general election.
He ran again in the 2007 Irish general election for the Longford–Westmeath area. He did not win his seat back in this election.
After losing his Dáil seat, the Taoiseach (Ireland's Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern chose him to be a Senator again in 2007. He was then chosen to be the Leader of the Seanad. He held this important role until 2011. He did not win a seat in the Seanad election in 2011.
Public Event and Resignation
In August 2020, Donie Cassidy was the President of the Oireachtas Golf Society. This group held a dinner event in Clifden, County Galway. Many people attended this dinner.
At the time, there were important public health rules in place because of COVID-19. Some people felt that the event did not follow the spirit of these rules. Because of the public discussion, Mr. Cassidy decided to resign from his role as vice president of the Fianna Fáil party on 23 August 2020.
He released a statement saying he was stepping down due to the ongoing discussion about the dinner. He said he always believed in following the rules.
Business Ventures
Beyond politics, Donie Cassidy has also been successful in business. He owns several hotels, including The Belvedere Hotel in Dublin. One of his hotels is on the site where the National Wax Museum used to be.
He also owns Celtic Note, which is a special shop in Dublin that sells Irish music. Since 1984, he has also had the right to sell CDs and DVDs at Dublin Airport. Mr. Cassidy owns several buildings in Mullingar. He also has interests in companies that publish music and records. He owns the rights to popular Irish songs like "Grace" and "My Lovely Rose of Clare".
