Profile: Ciarán Cannon (FG)
Galway East: Third TD elected of three
Ciarán Cannon
A former member of the Progressive Democrats, Ciarán Cannon assumed control of the party in the twilight of its life but joined Fine Gael in 2009 after the PDs dissolved. Elected to Galway County Council in 2004 and nominated to the Seanad in 2007, he eventually made it to the Dáil in 2011. The TD, whose constituency office is in Loughrea, was appointed minister of state for training and skills when he was elected but found himself returned to the backbenches in the 2014 reshuffle. He is a father of one and lives in Kiltullagh, Athenry, where he was born. Every two years he cycles 600 miles for the Irish Pilgrimage Trust, a charity for children and young people with disabilities. Formerly one of Galway’s “people of the year” (in 2002), Cannon has been the chairman of the Carrabane Community Council and scout leader for the local scout unit.
