Mark Ward (politician)

Mark Ward is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Mid-West constituency since the 2019 by-election.[1][2][3]

Mark Ward

TD
Teachta Dála
Assumed office
November 2019
ConstituencyDublin Mid-West
Personal details
BornDublin, Ireland
NationalityIrish
Political partySinn Féin
Children3
Alma mater
Websitesinnfein.ie/mark-ward

Early life

Ward grew up in Harelawn, north Clondalkin and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005.[4] He is a qualified behavioural therapist, having diplomas from NUI Maynooth and University College Dublin and a B.A. in Community Development and Addiction Studies from Carlow IT.

Political career

Ward was co-opted onto South Dublin County Council on 14 March 2016, representing the Clondalkin local electoral area.[5] He was elected Mayor of South Dublin in June 2018, serving until June 2019. He was reelected to the council in the May 2019 election, this time for the Palmerstown–Fonthill local electoral area. On 30 November 2019, he was elected to Dáil Éireann in the 2019 Dublin Mid-West by-election.[6] Lisa Colman was co-opted to Ward's seat on South Dublin County Council following his election to the Dáil. Despite predictions that he would lose his seat, he retained it at the 2020 general election, alongside his running mate Eoin O'Broin.

Personal life

Ward has three children.[5] He is an avid fan of Dublin Gaelic footballers, having a full back tattoo of the Dublin GAA crest.[7] From November 2016 until 2017, he was homeless, and this experience has resulted in him vowing to focus on housing as his main priority in politics.[8]

References
  1. "Mark Ward". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  2. "Sinn Féin wins by-election in Dublin Mid-West". RTE News. 30 November 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  3. "Byelections 2019: 'Good day for working class' as SF's Mark Ward takes Dáil seat". Breaking News. 30 November 2019.
  4. Ward, Mark (21 February 2018). "Dublin councillor with MS: 'I was on a walking stick at 32 ... now I plan to run the marathon'". TheJournal.ie.
  5. "Mark Ward to be co-opted to Clondalkin LEA to replace Eoin Ó Broin TD". www.sinnfein.ie.
  6. Kenny, Aisling (30 November 2019). "Sinn Féin takes first seat in four by-elections" – via www.rte.ie. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. Byrne, Luke (17 September 2016). "True blue councillor Mark has the Dubs' back". Herald.ie.
  8. O’ Flaherty, Aideen (5 July 2018). "New Mayor reveals how he became homeless". Retrieved 30 November 2019. The newly elected Mayor of South Dublin County Council and Sinn Féin councillor for Clondalkin, Mark Ward, revealed during his acceptance speech on Friday that he was homeless for several months during 2016 and 2017, and that housing will be his top priority during his mayorship.
Oireachtas
Preceded by
Gino Kenny
Eoin Ó Broin
John Curran
Frances Fitzgerald		 Teachta Dála for Dublin Mid-West
2019–present
With: Gino Kenny
Eoin Ó Broin
John Curran		 Incumbent


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