Who are the new junior ministers? Carroll MacNeill and O’Donnell join Government

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill

Minister of State with responsibility for Financial Services, Credit Unions and Insurance

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill – the new Minister of State at the Department of Finance – is seen as a rising star in Fine Gael. She is a first-time TD after the 2020 election having served as a Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown councillor since 2019. However, she was no stranger to Government Buildings prior to that, previously working as an adviser to former taoiseach Enda Kenny as well other former cabinet members including ex-minister for housing Eoghan Murphy.

A barrister by profession, Carroll MacNeill (42) is a mother of one. She is married to former Irish rugby star Hugo MacNeill. During the 2020 election campaign, Carroll MacNeill was harassed by a man who sent her sexually explicit videos. Gerard Culhane (43) of Marian Place, Glin, Co Limerick, pleaded guilty to the offence and was given a one-year suspended jail sentence with strict conditions that he has no contact with Carroll MacNeill.

During the court proceedings Carroll MacNeill said she had been left with a “cold sense of dread” during the election campaign but also that she didn’t wish to be “a victim”. As a TD, Carroll MacNeill has been vocal on areas such as the need to reduce the cost of childcare for families and justice issues. She is seen as a strong media performer and is frequently deployed by Fine Gael, most recently in attacks on Sinn Féin in recent weeks.

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[ Junior minister reshuffle: Two new FG ministers but no changes in personnel for FF and Greens ]

Kieran O’Donnell

Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government and Planning

Kieran O’Donnell (59) has been on the political scene for almost two decades but has only recently begun gaining much prominence outside of his Limerick City constituency. Originally from Castletroy, O’Donnell established a chartered accountancy practice in the city.

He is a nephew of the late Fine Gael TD Tom O’Donnell. The new junior minister was elected as a Fine Gael councillor in 2004 and won a Dáil seat three years later. He was re-elected in 2011 but lost out in 2016. He spent four years as a senator before returning to the Dáil after the 2020 general election. O’Donnell was appointed chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications in the current Dáil.

Its involvement in the debates over Covid-19 restrictions on travel and post-pandemic delays for passengers at Dublin Airport saw his profile get something of a boost over the last two years. O’Donnell had not been widely tipped for promotion in the reshuffle but the appointment is said by one source to be in recognition of “many years of hard work”.