The Foreign Ministry of Ireland |
Simon Coveney, TD
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade
Title
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Personal details
Full name: Simon Coveney
Place and date of birth: Cork, 16th June 1972
Place of residence: The Rock, Carrigaline, County Cork
Civil status: Married to Ruth, with three daughters
Education
Mr. Coveney holds a B.Sc. in Agriculture and Land Management from The Royal Agriculture College, Gloucestershire. He was also educated at Clongowes Wood College, County Kildare; University College Cork and Gurteen Agricultural College, County Tipperary.
Career and Party Political Positions
Appointed Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade with responsibility for Brexit on 30 November 2017.
Appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade with responsibility for Brexit on 14 June 2017.
Appointed Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government on May 6th 2016.
Appointed as Minister for Agriculture, Marine and Food on March 9th 2011 and Minister for Defence on July 11th 2014
Elected to the Dáil (Irish Parliament) in 1998 as one of Fine Gael’s youngest TD’s. Since then, he has held shadow ministries in the following areas: Drugs and Youth Affairs; Communications, Marine and Natural Resources; Transport and the Marine.
Mr. Coveney chaired the Fine Gael Policy Development Committee, prior to the 2011 General Election.
Elected to the European Parliament in 2004 and was a member of the EPP-ED group. He was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee. He was also a substitute member on the Fisheries Committee. Mr. Coveney was the author of the European Parliament's Annual Report on Human Rights in the World for the year 2004 and again for 2006.
Member of Cork County Council and the Southern Health Board from 1999 to 2003.
Other activities
A keen fan of all competitive sport, he played rugby for Garryowen, Cork Constitution and Crosshaven Rugby Club. In 1997/8 he led the "Sail Chernobyl Project" which involved sailing 30,000 miles around the world for charity.
Mr. Coveney continues to be involved in the running of a family farm in County Cork.