This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (October 2010)

Coillte

Type	Statutory Corporation
Industry	Forestry
Founded	1988
Headquarters	Newtownmountkennedy, Ireland
Area served	Ireland
Owner(s)	Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Minister for Finance (on behalf of the Irish state)
Employees	1,100
Divisions	3 (Coillte Panel Products, Coillte Forest, Coillte Enterprise)
Website	Coillte.ie

Coillte (Irish pronunciation: [ˈkəilʲtʲə], meaning "Forests"/"Woods") is a state-sponsored company in Ireland, based in Newtownmountkennedy. Coillte is a commercial company operating in forestry, land-based businesses and added-value processing operations.^[1]

Operation[link]

The company was established on 8 December 1988 and is owned by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Minister for Finance on behalf of the Irish Government.^[2] The new company replaced the old Forestry Commission. Coillte employs approximately 1,100 people^[3] and has three subsidiaries. The Coillte estate is 4,450 square kilometres of which 79% is forest; it owns 70% of forests in the country.

Between 1989 and 2007 Coillte has:

• Increased its Forest estate from 376,000ha to 445,421 ha. (445,315 ha are forested).
• Increased the value of its net assets from €730 million to €1,433 million.
• Increased its profits from a loss of €438K to profits of €40.1 million (2007).
• Turnover has grown from €38 million to €318 million (2007).
• The % of revenue derived from products and services other than roundwood sales has increased from 9% to 66.5%.^[4]

Future[link]

As of 2011, there is speculation that Coillte could be sold by the Government of Ireland as part of cost-cutting measures.^[5][6][7]

Coillte is currently seeking to calculate of the aggregate economic value of its 445,000ha of forest estate.^[8]

Price tag put on Coillte [1]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

Mark Foley
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 16th district
In office January 4, 1995 – September 29, 2006
Preceded by	Tom Lewis
Succeeded by	Tim Mahoney
Personal details
Born	Mark Adam Foley (1954-09-08) September 8, 1954 (age 57) Newton, Massachusetts
Political party	Republican
Residence	West Palm Beach, Florida
Alma mater	Palm Beach State College
Occupation	Retired Politician
Religion	Roman Catholic

Mark Adam Foley (born September 8, 1954) is a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He served from 1995 until 2006, representing the 16th District of Florida as a member of the Republican Party.

Foley resigned from Congress on September 29, 2006 acting on a request by the Republican Leadership after allegations surfaced that he had sent suggestive emails and sexually explicit instant messages^[1] to underage males who had formerly served and were at that time serving as Congressional pages.^[2][3] As a result of the disclosures, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducted investigations of the messages to find possible criminal charges.^[4] Each ended with no criminal finding. In the case of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the “FDLE conducted as thorough and comprehensive investigation as possible considering Congress and Mr. Foley denied us access to critical data,” said FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey with the closure of the case.^[5] The House Ethics Committee also conducted an investigation into the response of the House Republican leadership and their staff to possible earlier warnings of Foley's conduct.^[6]

Congressional career[link]

Early House career[link]

Foley was elected to the U.S. House in 1994 with 58 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat John Comerford. He was re-elected in 1996 with 64 percent of the vote against Democrat Jim Stuber and again in 1998 (this time without opposition). He was re-elected in 2000 with 60 percent of the vote against Democrat Jean Elliott Brown and Reform Party candidate John McGuire. Constitution Party candidate Jack McLain was his only opponent in 2002. He was re-elected in 2002 with 79 percent of the vote and in 2004 with 68 percent of the vote.

Foley was a moderate Republican. He spent most of his tenure in Congress as a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. He was also the first public figure to imply that Vice President Al Gore claimed to have invented the Internet. On March 12, 1999 Reuters reported Foley as saying, "The Vice President is mistaken. The only thing he has ever invented is another tax. He did not invent the Internet but he sure did tax it."^[7]

In late 2000, Foley played a large role in aiding George W. Bush during the Presidential election recount controversy in Florida.^[8]

In 2006, Foley was a member of the Republican House leadership, serving as deputy whip.^[9]

Senate campaigns[link]

In 2003, Foley was widely considered the Republican front runner for Bob Graham's Senate seat, especially after Graham had announced his retirement. However, longstanding rumors surfaced that Foley was either a homosexual or bisexual and was in a long-term relationship with a homosexual. The story was initially published only in local and gay press;^[10][11] then the New Times broke the story in the mainstream press. Other alternative press rivals, including the New York Press,^[12] then addressed the topic. Foley held a press conference to denounce the “revolting” rumors and stated that his sexual orientation was unimportant, but did not specifically deny the rumors. A few weeks later, he withdrew his candidacy, saying his father's battle with cancer had caused him to reassess his perspective on life (the seat was later won by Republican Mel Martinez). Foley had raised $3 million in campaign contributions before withdrawing.^[13]

In 2006, as Republican division over the candidacy of Katherine Harris grew, Foley's name was mentioned as a contender for the race against Democratic Senator Bill Nelson, but he did not file by the May deadline.^{[citation needed]}

Actions in Congress[link]

Legislation regarding pornography and sexual offenses[link]

In the House, Foley was one of the foremost opponents of child pornography. Foley had served as chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children. He introduced a bill, coined the "Child Modeling Exploitation Prevention Act of 2002" to outlaw web sites featuring sexually suggestive images of preteen children, saying that “these websites are nothing more than a fix for pedophiles.” As it was written, the bill would have prohibited commercial photography of children and it failed due to the unmanageable burden it would have presented to the legitimate entertainment industry.^[14][15] In June 2003 he wrote letters to the governor and attorney general of Florida, asking them to review the legality of a program for teenagers of a Lake Como nudist resort in Land o’ Lakes, Florida.^[16]

Foley's legislation to change federal sex offender laws was supported by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, America's Most Wanted host John Walsh and a number of victims' rights groups. President Bush signed it into law as part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.

Foley also succeeded in getting a law passed that allows volunteer youth-serving organizations like the Boy Scouts of America and Boys and Girls Clubs to have access to FBI fingerprint background checks.

LGBT rights issues[link]

Foley's voting record on LGBT-rights issues was cited in Newsweek magazine as being an example of a homosexual politician whose policies were anti-gay. However, the Human Rights Campaign, a LGBT-rights organization, did donate money to his re-election campaigns^[17] and he was endorsed by the Log Cabin Republicans in 2000.^[18]

In Congress, Foley did vote against a proposed Constitutional Amendment to ban legal recognition of same-sex marriages as well as another bill that would have banned gays and lesbians from adopting in Washington D.C.^[18] On this and other social issues, his views often seemed to be that of a moderate.

Other social issues[link]

Foley's stances on many social issues differ from his party's leadership. Although a Roman Catholic, Foley is a member of The Republican Majority For Choice.^[19] He has, however, advocated alternatives such as adoption and sexual abstinence. He also supports the Patriot Act, the death penalty and strict sentencing for hate crimes.^[20] Foley was a member of Christine Todd Whitman's It's My Party Too and the Republican Main Street Partnership. According to the National Journal's calculations, in 2005, Foley's voting record on social policy issues was moderate.^[21]

Other domestic issues[link]

Foley helped secure the first-ever financial commitment from Congress for the preservation of Florida's everglades.^[22]

Foley helped pass legislation that expedites the deportation of non-violent criminal aliens serving their sentences in federal prisons;^[23] and helped eliminate federal prohibitions on notifying a campus community when a student commits a violent crime.^[24]

Foley worked to pass legislation to help surviving heirs of Holocaust victims who have been unable to collect on life insurance policies owed to them.^[25][26]

Resignation from the U.S. Congress[link]

On September 28, 2006 ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross reported that in 2005, Foley had sent email messages from his personal AOL account to a former Congressional page, asking the page to send a photo of himself to Foley, among other things.^[27] Foley's office confirmed that Foley had sent the messages but said it has a practice of asking for photos of individuals who may ask for recommendations and that the page had requested a recommendation.

The original news report prompted another page to come forward and on September 29, 2006 ABC News reported that it had seen excerpts of sexually explicit instant messages allegedly sent by Foley.^[28] The instant messages made repeated references to sexual organs and acts.

Kirk Fordham, Chief of Staff to Tom Reynolds and former Chief of Staff to Foley, said that he was with Foley on September 29, 2006 when ABC confronted him with the explicit messages before they were publicized.^[29] Fordham then visited GOP headquarters to inform Reynolds and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert; he returned with a one-sentence resignation letter that Foley signed. Hastert and Reynolds let it be known that if Foley didn't resign, he would be expelled from the House. That same day, Foley tendered his resignation to Hastert as well as Florida Governor Jeb Bush.^[30][31] Foley said in a statement, “I am deeply sorry and I apologize for letting down my family and the people of Florida I have had the privilege to represent.”^[32][33] Once the news report became more widely known, Foley's chances of retaining his seat in Congress were limited. Hastert said in an October 2 press conference that he would have demanded Foley's expulsion from the House had he tried to stay in office.^[34] Even if he'd tried to get his seat back, polls showed him losing badly to his Democratic opponent, Tim Mahoney.

More pages came forward, alleging a history of inappropriate conduct by Foley dating back at least 10 years. Foley had been warned about the matter in 2005 by another House Republican and the House Clerk. Through his lawyer, Foley insisted he was not a pedophile and asserted that he had not "had contact" with a minor. This implied that though he did not sexually assault any male interns, he did not explicitly deny sending them solicitous and sexually overt text-messages; thus sidestepping the question of whether he should have apologized (in public or in private) to the interns who had complained about him. Foley also explained that he had a drinking problem and had made the communications while intoxicated. He checked himself into a rehab clinic on October 2, 2006.^[35] His lawyer also revealed that Foley was molested by a clergyman when he was between the ages of 13 and 15 adding that “Mark Foley wants you to know he is a homosexual.”^[36] Federal authorities said the explicit messages could result in Foley's prosecution, under some of the same laws he helped to enact.^[37]

There was widespread criticism of Republican leaders for their response to earlier warnings and inconsistencies in their statements. In particular, many called for Hastert to resign, including some conservative voices such as the editorial page of The Washington Times.^[38]

On October 19, 2006 the Sarasota Herald-Tribune stated that a Catholic priest named Anthony Mercieca told the newspaper about an intimate two-year relationship he had with Foley when the congressman was a teenage altar boy living in Lake Worth, Florida.^[39] The priest is retired and living in Malta. He acknowledged getting naked in saunas and possible "light touching", but denied contact of a sexual nature.^[40]

Florida officials have closed the investigation of Foley, stating they found "insufficient evidence" to file criminal charges, since the page was over the age of 18.^[41]

November 2006 election[link]

Shortly after Foley resigned, the Republican Party of Florida named State Representative Joe Negron to run as the Republican replacement candidate to face Mahoney.^[42] In accordance with Florida election law, Foley's name remained on the ballot.^[43] Votes cast for Foley in the November election counted towards Negron's total.^[44] Mahoney called for a full investigation of Foley's actions.^[45] Foley's district had been held by Republicans since its creation in 1973 (it was the 10th District until 1983 and the 12th District until 1993.) In an effort to use the scandal to his benefit, Negron used the slogan "Punch Foley for Joe!", instructing voters to "punch" Foley's name on the ballot to chastise him and support Negron.^[46][47]

Negron narrowly lost the election to Tim Mahoney. Negron had 47.7 percent and Mahoney had 49.5 percent.^[48] The seat fell back into Republican hands in the 111th congress with the election of Tom Rooney.

Post-Congressional life[link]

After leaving Congress, Foley entered the real estate business in Palm Beach, Florida.^[49] He also came out publicly, and as of 2007^[update] was in a relationship with a Palm Beach dermatologist, Layne Nisenbaum.^[50] On September 22, 2009, Foley debuted as host in his own radio show, "Foley on Politics," on Seaview AM 960 in North Palm Beach, Florida.^[51]

Electoral history[link]

See also[link]

• Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act
• Ego-dystonic sexual orientation
• House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• List of federal political sex scandals in the United States
• List of state and local political sex scandals in the United States

References[link]

External links[link]

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• List of candidates for the Sixteenth Congressional District of Florida
• Associated Press profile
• List of contributors to Mark Foley's campaigns
• Washington Post profile: "The Open and Closeted Lives of a Gay Congressman" (October 4, 2006)
• New Foley Instant Messages; Had Internet Sex While Awaiting House Vote
• IMs from Rep. Mark Foley
• Rep. Mark Foley on saving children from internet predators
• Anthony Mercieca speaking with the Sarasota Herald Tribune on October 19, 2006, about the inappropriate relations with Mark Foley
• FDLE asks Pelosi for Foley investigation help, gets no response

Richard Boyd Barrett TD
Teachta Dála
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 February 2011
Constituency	Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Councillor
In office June 2009 – 26 February 2011
Constituency	Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown
Personal details
Born	November 1967 (1967-11) (age 44)
Nationality	Irish
Political party	People Before Profit Alliance
Other political affiliations	Socialist Workers Party, United Left Alliance
Alma mater	University College Dublin
Website	www.richardboydbarrett.ie

Richard Boyd Barrett (born November 1967)^[1] is an Irish politician who is currently a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency.^[2]

Boyd Barrett is a former member of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, and chair of the Irish Anti-War Movement^[3] and on multiple occasions has been cited on war issues in the Irish media.^[4][5][6][7] He opposes the Iraq War and helped mobilise mass popular protests against it in 2003, amid concerns that the war would lead to thousands of unnecessary deaths. Domestically, he has campaigned to reverse job losses, supported the Rossport Five and voiced opposition to Ireland's bank-bail outs and the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) among other issues.

Boyd Barrett was elected to Dáil Éireann in the 2011 general election. He is known for, what the The Irish Times described as, his "consistently passionate outrage and opposition to the Government’s handling of the [financial and banking] crisis."^[8]

Family and education[link]

Adopted as a baby, his natural mother is actress Sinéad Cusack, with whom he was later reunited.^[3] This was revealed in the last week of his unsuccessful 2007 Dáil election campaign, during which Cusack, a vocal opponent of the Iraq War, canvassed for him.^[3] He was raised in Glenageary^[9] by adoptive parents David and Valerie Boyd Barrett, attending St Michael's College.^[1] He holds a Master's Degree in English Literature from University College Dublin.^[1]

Political career[link]

Local politics[link]

Boyd Barrett is a member of the Trotskyist^[10][11] Socialist Workers Party. He contested the 2004 local elections for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. He was not elected and received 1,439 votes or 7.4% of the poll. In 2009, he was elected to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council winning 22.8% of the vote, topping the poll.

National politics[link]

Boyd Barrett ran for election in the Dún Laoghaire constituency at the 2002 general election for the Socialist Workers Party and at the 2007 general election for the People Before Profit Alliance. This identification was intended to broaden his support from non-socialist voters.^[12] In the run-up to the election in 2007 he participated in high-profile campaigns against highrise development, bin and water charges, privatisation of hospitals and support for the Rossport Five.^[12] Boyd Barrett lost to Ciarán Cuffe of the Green Party, by 9,910 votes to 7,890 votes in the 10th count.^[13][14]

2011 election breakthrough[link]

Boyd Barrett again contested the Dún Laoghaire constituency at the 2011 general election as part of the United Left Alliance.^[15] On the ballot paper Boyd Barrett was named a member of People Before Profit, as the United Left Alliance had not yet been registered as a political party.^[16]

He was elected on the 10th count without reaching the quota.^[17][18][19] This followed a "nail-biting two days" of counting and recounting votes. At the time of his election, he did not own a suit.^[20]

Dáil Éireann[link]

As a TD Boyd Barrett supported protests against cuts to Dublin Bus services, saying that "Some of the older and disabled people are literally prisoners in their homes now as a result of the cut or discontinuation of the service they previously relied on".^[21] In Dáil Éireann, he condemned the 2011 murder of PSNI officer Ronan Kerr as "an utterly brutal action, which leads back down a road which has failed".^[22] He drafted the text of the first Private Members' motion which suggests there is an "overwhelming democratic case" for putting the EU/IMF bank bailout to a referendum of the Irish people.^[23] He also committed to facilitating the nomination of Senator David Norris for a place on the ballot paper ahead of the 2011 presidential election,^[24] and welcomed the release of Teresa Treacy, the Offaly pensioner jailed after she tried to protect her trees from government contractors.^[25] Her imprisonment was raised in the Dáil when Boyd Barrett rejected a statement by Minister of State Kathleen Lynch that public representatives would have to request in writing a visit with her, saying the deputy governor of Mountjoy had not responded. Kathleen Lynch replied: “I will take on board very much Deputy Boyd Barrett's issue about the visits and make inquiries.”^[26]

Boyd Barrett spoke at the Dublin edition of the 15 October 2011 global protests inspired by the Spanish "Indignants" and the Occupy Wall Street movements.^[27] The same month he said Enda Kenny's government was engaging in “spin and disingenuity” to cover up its austerity policies, decrying the closure of hospital emergency departments around the country for “health and safety” reasons.^[28] On 2 November 2011, Boyd Barrett led the United Left Alliance TDs out of the Dáil in protest against the government's decision not to hold a debate on the payment of more than €700 million to Anglo Irish Bank bondholders. "You will not even give the parliament the right to vote on the handover of all the money you have taken out of the health service", he objected.^[29] On 15 December 2011, he helped launch a nationwide campaign against a proposed household charge being brought in as part of the 2012 Irish budget.^[30]

It was reported in the Phoenix magazine that after a Technical Group meeting with the Troika, on the 17th of January 2012,^[31] Boyd Barret was confronted by another member of the Technical Group, Mick Wallace, who angrily criticized Boyd Barret for "ignoring their advance strategy of dividing up questions between them and dominating the meeting with a raft of his own queries and assertions. ^[32]

Boyd Barrett was part of an Oireachtas delegation that met the Bundestag's Budgetary and European Affairs committees in Berlin in late January 2012.^[33]

Campaigns and policies[link]

Domestic policy[link]

Richard Boyd Barrett has campaigned against Ireland's bank-bail outs^[34] and the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA),^[35] organised protests, and supported initiatives such as The Right to Work Campaign.^[36][37][38] He also proposed direct investment in public enterprise and strategic industry to create jobs in areas such as renewable energy, food production, generic medicines and IT development.^[39] Boyd Barrett has organized a campaign to oppose the sale of St Michael's Hospital to private developers,^[40] led campaigns to protect public amenities in Dún Laoghaire,^[36] including the Save Our Seafront campaign against a high rise development on the site of the Dún Laoghaire baths,^[41][42][43] and more recently he has been campaigning to prevent the acquisition of Dún Laoghaire harbour by private companies. He has also been involved in campaigns to reverse job losses, such as those by staff at Connolly Shoes (a shoe shop).^[36]

Critics, such as the print and broadcast journalist Vincent Browne, have described Boyd Barrett's economic views as "Cloud Cuckooland".^[44]

Foreign policy[link]

Boyd Barrett helped to organize mass protests against the war in Iraq in 2003.^[45][46] He addressed the Dublin leg of the March 20, 2003 International Day of Action.^[47] He said that it was "almost certain" that any war would lead to between 50,000 and 100,000 deaths.^[48] He said "the complicity of the Irish Government in this murderous war through providing facilities for the US military at Shannon airport" was "an absolute disgrace" and urged people to protest in their thousands "to show this carnage is not being mounted in our names".^[49] In 2009 he supported the pro-democracy protests in Iran.^[50]

In March 2005, according to the Irish Anti-War organization, Boyd Barrett attended the Cairo Anti-war Conference in Cairo, Egypt, focusing on American intervention in Iraq.^[51]

In 2007, he called for Ibrahim Moussawi, head of the Hezbollah-owned Al-Manar TV station, to be allowed to enter Ireland to attend a Dublin conference organised by the Irish Anti-War Movement. According to the Irish Independent, Boyd Barrett said that banning Moussawi amounted to the suppression of "free public debate in the country".^[52]

In April 2009 Boyd Barrett addressed the Al-Aqsa Conference in Dublin.^[53] He said that Israel is "a state built on violence, oppression and apartheid" and "has no right to exist as long as it denies rights to Palestinians.”^[53]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2011)

Richard Newell Boyd (b. 19 May 1942, Washington, D.C.; Ph.D. MIT 1970) is an American philosopher who has spent most of his career at Cornell University,^[1] though he also taught briefly at Harvard University, the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and the University of California, Berkeley. He has also been a visiting professor at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, and the University of Melbourne in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

He is well-known in philosophy of science circles as a philosophical realist and a scientific realist. In moral philosophy circles he is a leading defender of moral realism. His co-edited book The Philosophy of Science (ISBN 0-262-52156-3) is widely used in undergraduate and graduate philosophy courses. He has also made important contributions to the development of Cornell realism, a distinctly naturalistic position in moral philosophy.

Boyd's doctoral thesis, directed by Hilary Putnam, is called "A recursion-theoretic characterization of the ramified analytical hierarchy", and his degree was one of the first Ph.Ds awarded in philosophy by MIT.

See also[link]

• American philosophy
• List of American philosophers

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Page

This biography of an American philosopher is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Eamon Ryan
Leader of the Green Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 May 2011
Preceded by	John Gormley
Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
In office 14 June 2007 – 23 January 2011
Preceded by	Noel Dempsey
Succeeded by	Pat Carey
Teachta Dála
In office May 2002 – February 2011
Constituency	Dublin South
Personal details
Born	(1963-07-28) 28 July 1963 (age 48) Dublin, Ireland
Political party	Green Party
Spouse(s)	Victoria White
Children	4
Alma mater	University College Dublin
Website	www.eamonryan.ie

Eamon Ryan (born 28 July 1963) is an Irish politician and leader of the Irish Green Party.^[1] He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South constituency from 2002 to 2011, and served as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources from 2007 to 2011.^[2]

Early and personal life[link]

Ryan was born in Dublin and raised in Dundrum where he continues to live. He was educated at Gonzaga College and University College Dublin where he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. After a period of unemployment in the mid 1980s, he worked as a tour operator.^[2] He was the founder of Irish Cycling Safaris, a company which organises cycling holidays in Ireland and Europe. He married the author and journalist Victoria White in 1996.^[3]

Political career[link]

He first became involved in politics in 1998 when he was co-opted to Dublin City Council. He topped the poll at the 1999 local elections in the Rathmines electoral area. From 1995 to 2002 he served on the advisory committee of the Dublin Transport Office. At the 2002 general election he was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a TD for Dublin South.^[4] He served as Green Party spokesperson for Transport, Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Communications, Marine and Natural Resources during the 29th Dáil.

He announced on 13 September 2004 that he intended to ask his party to nominate him as a candidate for the 2004 presidential election. However, when it was announced that the incumbent, Mary McAleese, was seeking a second term he withdrew. His campaign was also hit by his admission of cannabis use, an illegal drug.^[5]

In government[link]

He was re-elected at the 2007 general election. Following the Green Party's special convention vote in favour of entering into a coalition government with Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats on 13 June 2007, Ryan was appointed to the cabinet as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when the 30th Dáil sat the following day.

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources[link]

As Minister, he stated his priorities would be to improve upon the changes underway in the Irish energy sector, with strong emphasis on aiding the adaptation of renewables and building retrofitting. He also aimed to enhance communications infrastructure where Ireland had fallen behind other countries.

Record in office[link]

During Ryan's period in office, installed wind capacity in Ireland doubled, and by 2010 the average daily energy derived from renewable sources (as a percentage of total demand) had increased to 17%, peaking at 42%.^[6][7][8] He also committed Ireland to the European Super Grid programme in 2009 and announced major government investment in Marine energy research projects.^[9] Government schemes were expanded for home energy retrofitting as uptake increased,^[10] the National Broadband Scheme was completed,^[11] a Broadband for Schools Scheme launched,^[12] and a national electric vehicle and chargepoint initiative was announced in conjunction with the ESB Electric Ireland and Peugeot Citroën, which was subsequently implemented by the new government.^[13][14]

Criticisms[link]

Many environmental activists, particularly Shell to Sea and Maura Harrington, criticised Ryan for joining Fianna Fáil in coalition as the terms of the programme for government did not include a reversal or renegotiation of the proposed gas pipline and refinery at Broadhaven Bay, County Mayo.^[15][16] Before entering into government, Ryan visibly supported the aims of the Shell to Sea campaign and attended their protests.^[17] Ryan was also criticised by Shell to Sea for failing to launch an independent review of the decision, as stipulated by the Green Party in a motion passed at their annual convention in 2007, though the party's 2007 election manifesto contained no such commitment.^[18][19]

2011 general election and Green Party leadership[link]

Ryan resigned as Minister on 23 January 2011 when the Green Party withdrew from government.^[20] He subsequently lost his seat at the 2011 general election receiving 6.8% of the vote.^[21] As part of his pension Ryan will receive a lump sum of €110,000 and an annual pension of €51,000 when he is 65, in 2028.^[22][1][2]

He was one of three candidates to contest the subsequent Green Party leadership election of May 2011. He was elected leader on 27 May 2011, succeeding John Gormley.^[1]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Eamon Ryan

• Official website