Fine Gael Senator Joe O’Reilly new Leas Cathaoirleach of Seanad

Fine Gael senator Joe O’Reilly is the new Leas Cathaoirleach of the Seanad.

He replaces party colleague Senator Jerry Buttimer, who resigned over his attendance at the controversial Oireachtas Golf Society dinner in Clifden, Co Galway last month.

Mr O'Reilly (65) was elected by acclamation in the Upper House on Friday with cross-party support. Sinn Féin nominated Senator Fintan Warfield but did not push the issue to a vote.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar broke with precedent by asking Fine Gael Senators to choose their nominee for the role.

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He had chosen Mr Buttimer when the Government was formed three months ago. However, after the Cork Senator’s resignation he said the party’s Senators should vote on the party’s new nominee.

Mr O’Reilly won that vote in a contest with Cork Senator Tim Lombard and former government chief whip Sean Kyne, a Galway-based Senator.

The role of Leas Cathaoirleach comes with a salary increase of €25,357 on top of the €68,111 Senator’s salary.

From Bailieborough, Co Cavan Senator O’Reilly was first elected to the Seanad in 1989 serving until 1992 with a gap of 15 years before he was elected again in 2007. He served until 2011 when he was elected to the Dáil.

He lost his seat in 2016 but was elected to the Seanad on the Labour panel and retained it in the April election.

He was to stand in the February Dáil general election in Cavan-Monaghan but stood down when polling indicated he would not keep the seat but his replacement Councillor TP O’Reilly was unsuccessful.

Fianna Fáil Cavan Senator Diarmuid Wilson described him in the Seanad as a “good man” who “has shown that politics is a vocation. Even though it has drawn him into stormy waters as well as calm ones, he has not given up or given in.”

Mr O’Reilly told his colleagues that “over the years, the Seanad has been a catalyst for social change and new thinking”. He said he would work to “extend our possibilities”.

Senators originally had to be at least 35 years old but he said there were now many young members of the Seanad of extraordinary calibre.

It was tremendously important he said that the Upper House should be “more representative of the population as a whole.

“Our young Members are our greatest jewels,” he said.