Ivan Yates facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ivan Yates
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Yates in 1996
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| Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry | |
| In office 15 December 1994 – 26 June 1997 |
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| Taoiseach | John Bruton |
| Preceded by | Joe Walsh |
| Succeeded by | Joe Walsh |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office June 1981 – May 2002 |
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| Constituency | Wexford |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 October 1959 Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland |
| Political party | Fine Gael |
| Spouse |
Deirdre Yates
(m. 1985) |
| Children | 4 |
| Education |
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| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
Ivan Yates was born on October 23, 1959. He is an Irish broadcaster, a businessman, and a former politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála (TD), which is a member of the Irish Parliament, for the Wexford area. He first won this election in 1981 and continued to be elected until he left politics in 2002.
Ivan Yates also served as the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry from 1994 to 1997. Since 2009, he has been known for sharing his opinions on political topics in the media.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Ivan Yates was born in Enniscorthy, a town in County Wexford, Ireland. He went to school at Aravon School in Bray. He also studied at St. Columba's Church of Ireland College in Dublin and Gurteen College in County Tipperary.
Political Journey
Starting in Local Politics
Ivan Yates began his political career at a young age. In 1978, when he was just 18, he won a seat on the Enniscorthy Urban Council. He was a member of the Fine Gael political party and won by only 13 votes.
Serving in National Politics
When Ivan Yates was first elected to the Dáil (the Irish Parliament) in 1981, he was the youngest member in that parliament. He was also the fifth-youngest person ever to become a member of Dáil Éireann at the age of 21.
He was also involved in local government, serving on the Wexford County Council from 1981 to 1995, and again from 1999 to 2004. In 1988, he joined the main group of Fine Gael politicians who spoke for the party. When Fine Gael came into power in 1994, he was chosen to be the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
During his time as Minister, Irish farmers faced many challenges. The prices they received for their products dropped. He also had to deal with a rise in cases of BSE (also known as "mad cow disease") in 1996. This led to Russia stopping imports of Irish beef.
In 2001, when John Bruton stepped down as the leader of Fine Gael, some people thought Ivan Yates might try to become the new leader. However, he announced that he was leaving full-time politics. He wanted to focus more on his family and his business interests. He did not run in the next general election.
Business Ventures
Ivan Yates was the head of Celtic Bookmakers, a chain of betting shops in Ireland. He helped the company grow from its base in Wexford to 64 shops across the country. However, in 2011, the company faced financial difficulties.
He also led a group of bookmakers in a court case in 2005. This case was against the British Horseracing Board (BHB) about fees for using a racing information database. The issue was settled, and the bookmakers received a payment.
In 2011, he spoke about the process of bankruptcy in Ireland. He said it was very difficult and considered moving to the UK to use their bankruptcy process, which was different. In 2012, a court in Dublin dismissed an attempt by a bank to declare him bankrupt. In September 2013, it was announced that he was officially discharged from bankruptcy.
Media Career
Ivan Yates started co-hosting a breakfast show on Newstalk radio in 2009. He worked with Claire Byrne and later with Chris Donoghue. In 2012, he announced he was leaving Newstalk and his column in the Irish Examiner to focus on his personal finances. He also presented Tonight with Vincent Browne on TV3 during the summer of 2011.
He returned to Newstalk in September 2013, again co-hosting the breakfast show with Chris Donoghue. Ivan Yates is also a popular speaker at business events in Ireland. He often gives motivational speeches and acts as a MC.
He co-hosted The Tonight Show on TV3 and presented The Hard Shoulder on Newstalk. He retired from broadcasting in July 2020. Kieran Cuddihy took over as the host of The Hard Shoulder in September 2020.
Media Style
In 2018, Mick Heaney from the Irish Times described Ivan Yates's style in the media. He noted that Yates often presents himself as someone who challenges traditional views. However, he often ends up agreeing with or praising guests he initially seemed to disagree with. Heaney suggested that Yates is more interested in questioning common political ideas in Ireland than sticking to one strict viewpoint.
Political Beliefs
In 2010, Ivan Yates shared how he chose his political party in the late 1970s. He explained that he was not a socialist, so the Labour Party was not for him. He also did not feel a strong connection to the Easter Rising of 1916, which meant Fianna Fáil was not his choice. This left him with Fine Gael. He was seen as part of the more modern, liberal side of the party, which was led by Garrett FitzGerald.
As of 2025, Ivan Yates identifies as centre-right in his political views. He has stated that Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher are his main inspirations. He supports the American Republican Party and Donald Trump, though he disagreed with some of Trump's economic policies, like using tariffs.
Ivan Yates has said he is not strongly connected to Irish nationalism. He has joked that he is "rightly condemned as West British" and does not care for Irish republicanism. In 2024, he stated he has no interest in learning the Irish language and felt that too many resources are spent by the Irish state on supporting the language.
Personal Life
Ivan Yates is a member of the Church of Ireland. He is married to Deirdre, and he often says she is a big reason for his success in his different careers. They have three children together.
