Eamon Gilmore facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eamon Gilmore
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Gilmore in 2014
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| European Union Special Representative for Human Rights | |
| In office 1 March 2019 – 29 February 2024 |
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| President | Jean-Claude Juncker Ursula von der Leyen |
| Preceded by | Stavros Lambrinidis |
| Succeeded by | Olof Skoog |
| European Union Special Representative for the Colombian Peace Process | |
| In office 1 October 2015 – 19 February 2019 |
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| President | Jean-Claude Juncker |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Tánaiste | |
| In office 9 March 2011 – 4 July 2014 |
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| Taoiseach | Enda Kenny |
| Preceded by | Mary Coughlan |
| Succeeded by | Joan Burton |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade | |
| In office 9 March 2011 – 11 July 2014 |
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| Taoiseach | Enda Kenny |
| Preceded by | Brian Cowen (Foreign Affairs) Mary Hanafin (Trade) |
| Succeeded by | Charles Flanagan |
| Leader of the Labour Party | |
| In office 6 September 2007 – 4 July 2014 |
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| Deputy | Joan Burton |
| Preceded by | Pat Rabbitte |
| Succeeded by | Joan Burton |
| Chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe | |
| In office 1 January 2012 – 18 December 2013 |
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| Secretary-General | Lamberto Zannier |
| Preceded by | Audronius Ažubalis |
| Succeeded by | Leonid Kozhara |
| Minister of State | |
| 1994–1997 | Marine |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office June 1989 – February 2016 |
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| Constituency | Dún Laoghaire |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 April 1955 Caltra, County Galway, Ireland |
| Political party | Labour Party (1999–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
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| Spouse |
Carol Hanney
(m. 1981) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Garbally College |
| Alma mater | University College Galway |
Eamon Gilmore (born 24 April 1955) is an Irish politician and diplomat. He was a member of the Labour Party. Since 2019, he has been the European Union Special Representative for Human Rights. He also worked as the European Union Special Envoy for the Colombian Peace Process from 2015.
From 2011 to 2014, Eamon Gilmore was the Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) of Ireland. He also served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade during this time. Before that, he led the Labour Party from 2007 to 2014. He was a Teachta Dála (TD), which is a member of the Irish Parliament, for the Dún Laoghaire area from 1989 to 2016.
In the 2011 general election, he led the Labour Party to its best-ever result. They won 37 seats in the Dáil. Labour then formed a coalition government with Fine Gael. Gilmore was appointed Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.
As Minister for Foreign Affairs, he led Ireland's turn as president of the European Council in early 2013. In 2012, he was the Chairperson of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
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Early Life and Education
Eamon Gilmore was born in Caltra, County Galway, in 1955. His family ran a small farm. His father passed away when Eamon was very young. His mother then managed the farm and raised Eamon and his younger brother.
He went to a small local school in Caltra. He learned through the Irish language and still speaks it fluently today. A scholarship from Galway County Council helped him go to secondary school. He became a boarder at Garbally College, Ballinasloe, in 1967.
Eamon Gilmore later studied psychology at University College Galway (UCG). He was very active in student life. He was part of the Drama Society and the Literary and Debating Society.
At 18, he was elected President of the UCG Students' Union. This was from July 1974 to June 1975. From 1976 to 1978, he was President of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI).
Before becoming a politician, he worked as a trade union organiser. He joined the Irish Transport & General Workers' Union (now SIPTU) in 1978. He worked in different branches, helping workers in places like Galway and Kerry. He focused on helping people get fair rights and better working conditions.
Political Journey
Eamon Gilmore began his political career in local government. He was elected to the Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown local council in 1985. He served on both the Dún Laoghaire Borough Council and Dublin County Council.
He was first elected to Dáil Éireann (the Irish Parliament) in the 1989 general election. He represented the Dún Laoghaire area. He was re-elected in every election until he retired in 2016.
In 1992, Eamon Gilmore and other politicians left the Workers' Party. They formed a new party called Democratic Left. This change aimed to update the party's ideas.
Throughout his career, Gilmore worked for peace in Northern Ireland. He helped start the Peace Train campaign in 1989. This campaign was a response to bombings on the Dublin to Belfast railway. As Minister for Foreign Affairs, he continued to work on peace efforts.
From 1994 to 1997, he was a Minister of State at the Department of the Marine. In this role, he helped change how ports were owned and developed. He also worked to ban nuclear vessels from Irish waters.
In 1999, Democratic Left merged with the Labour Party. Gilmore played a key role in these talks. After the merger, he became a spokesperson for the Labour Party on environment and housing issues.
Eamon Gilmore also supported the Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly. This group wants to make the United Nations more democratic.
Leading the Labour Party
In 2007, Eamon Gilmore became the leader of the Labour Party. He was the only candidate, so he was chosen without a vote. He aimed for Labour to become a major force in Irish politics.
Under his leadership, Labour gained more seats in local elections in 2009. They also increased their seats in the European Parliament election from one to three.
He supported a "Yes" vote in the first Lisbon Treaty referendum in 2008. After it was defeated, he said it was "dead." However, he later supported a second referendum, which passed in 2009.
In 2010, Gilmore stated that Labour would not form a government with Fianna Fáil after the next election. He wanted Labour to be the largest party and lead the government.
He strongly supported the idea of marriage equality. He called it "the civil rights issue of this generation." He promised a public vote on the issue. A referendum on marriage equality was held in 2015.
As Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Gilmore expanded Ireland's network of embassies. Eight new diplomatic offices were opened in 2014. These new offices focused on trade and investment.
In May 2014, after poor election results for Labour, Gilmore resigned as leader. Joan Burton took over as party leader and Tánaiste in July 2014.
2011 General Election Success
Eamon Gilmore led the Labour Party to its best election result ever in the 2011 general election. The party won 37 seats in the Dáil. They did very well in Dublin, winning 18 seats. Gilmore himself topped the poll in his Dún Laoghaire constituency.
Tánaiste and Government Minister (2011–2014)
After the 2011 election, Labour formed a coalition government with Fine Gael. Eamon Gilmore became the Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. He appointed several ministers and recreated the office of the Tánaiste. This helped him have more control over government policy.
Ireland Exits Bailout
On 15 December 2013, Ireland became the first country in the Eurozone to finish its €67.5 billion bailout program. This program was set up by the European Commission, European Central Bank, and International Monetary Fund (known as the Troika). The bailout began in 2010 after Ireland's property market collapsed. This caused a financial crisis for the country's banks.
The previous government had guaranteed all bank debts. This nearly bankrupted the country. Ireland had to ask the EU and IMF for help. In November 2014, the government decided to exit the bailout without needing more credit. Gilmore explained that Ireland had enough reserve funding to manage on its own.
Northern Ireland Peace Efforts
On 11 November 2012, Gilmore became the first Irish government minister to attend the Remembrance Sunday ceremony in Belfast. He laid a wreath at the Cenotaph to honor those who died in the World Wars. He attended again the next year.
In 2013, he gave a speech in Cambridge. He spoke about how important it was to address concerns from the unionist community. He also hoped that the Irish government could host members of the royal family and British government in Dublin to remember the Easter Rising. He was part of talks to resolve issues in Northern Ireland.
Leading the OSCE
On 1 January 2012, Ireland took on the role of chairing the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for the first time. As Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Gilmore served as the Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE.
EU Presidency and Budget Talks
As Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Gilmore led Ireland's turn as president of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in early 2013. He chaired important meetings of the European Union. He was also the main negotiator for the Council in talks with the European Parliament. These talks were about a huge €960 billion, seven-year budget for the EU.
Ireland's Diplomatic Network
In November 2011, Gilmore announced that Ireland would close its embassies in Iran and the Vatican for economic reasons. However, in January 2014, he announced that eight new diplomatic missions would open worldwide. These new offices would mainly focus on trade and investment.
Supporting Irish Citizens Abroad
As Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Gilmore worked to help Irish citizens living in the US without proper documents. He met with US politicians in Washington D.C. to discuss changes to US immigration laws. He hoped these changes would help the estimated 50,000 Irish people living there.
Life After Irish Politics
On 2 June 2015, Eamon Gilmore announced he would not run in the 2016 general election. He retired from Irish politics.
In February 2016, he became a professor at Dublin City University. In 2017, he was a Visiting Professor at Central European University in Budapest. He has also given lectures at universities around the world.
He is a member of advisory boards for the National University of Ireland, Galway, and the Alpbach Forum in Austria.
European Union Special Representative Role
On 1 October 2015, Eamon Gilmore was appointed by Federica Mogherini as the European Union Special Envoy for the Colombian Peace Process. This role involved helping with peace efforts in Colombia.
On 19 February 2019, he was nominated to be the European Union Special Representative for Human Rights. This nomination was approved the next day. His term in this role ended on 29 February 2024.
Awards and Recognitions
In 2015, the magazine Foreign Policy named Gilmore one of the 100 leading Global Thinkers. This was for his role in Ireland's vote to approve marriage equality.
In 2016, his old university, the National University of Ireland, Galway, gave him an Honorary Doctorate in law.
The Government of France made him an Official of the Legion of Honour. Colombia also honored him with the Order of San Carlos for his work on the Peace Process.
Personal Life
Eamon Gilmore met his wife, Carol Hanney, at university. They have lived in Shankill, Dublin since 1979. They have two sons and one daughter. His brother, John, works as a television producer in Washington D.C.
He has written two books. One, called Leading Lights: People Who've Inspired Me, was published in 2010. The other, Inside the Room: The Untold Story of Ireland's Crisis Government, came out in 2016.
Images for kids
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Gilmore in 2014
