Senator Mark Daly
Political Journey
Mark was first elected as one of the youngest members of the 23rd Senate of Ireland in the 2007 election beating three incumbent Party Senators on the first count, an achievement which was featured on the RTE main evening news bulletin Mark Daly Elected to Seanad 26/07/07 - YouTube
Although Mark had never previously contested any elected office, he had been actively involved in the local community, serving as the youngest Chair of the Kenmare Gaelic Football and Hurling Club and he has always been involved in local politics since secondary school and worked on Brian Crowley MEP’S elections campaigns. Following the success of his first term as a Senator, he was re-elected in 2011, 2016 when he received 184,000 votes, the highest number of votes for any candidate in the history of the Senate on that Panel and returned again in the 2020 Seanad election. Mark was elected to the office of 24th Chair of the Senate of Ireland and serves a Leas Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann. He was the first Kerry man and youngest Senator from his party and second youngest individual to hold the office of Chair of the Senate of Ireland.
As Cathaoirleach of the Seanad, Mark chaired the Seanad ' Public Consultation Committee on the Topic of the Constitutional Future of The Island of Ireland’ . This aimed to hear the views of all the people of the island, on the future they would like to achieve for the island of Ireland.
Mark has been working with Members of Congress since 2021 and together they have built the American Irish State Legislatures Caucus, This is a bi-partisan network of current and former American Irish legislators and legislators who are friends of Ireland from across the United States of America at the local and state level of government. The Caucus is inclusive, it is open to everyone, those who have Irish Heritage and those who are supporters of Ireland. https://aislc.org/
From 2017 to 2020 Mark published a series of 6 reports on the topics of Uniting Ireland including the first ever report by a Dáil or Seanad Committee on the issue of 'Uniting Ireland and its people in peace and prosperity'. Following this Mark released a further five reports on the topic of a United Ireland which can be accessed at the Shared Ireland section of this site.
Mark was appointed as rapporteur on the topic of National Anthem by the Seanad Public Consultation in 2018. Following the consultation, for the first time ever, protocols were produced and an Irish Sign Language version of the National Anthem for the deaf community was created.
Mark worked with the Minister for Disabilities in 2016 and together they pass the Irish Sign Language act which gave civil rights to the 50,000 members of the deaf community in Ireland. It was only the 6th time since the enactment of the constitution that an opposition senator passed a piece of legislation.
Mark was involved in the All-Party Decade of Commemorations Working Group in the years leading up to 2016 and the centenary commemoration of the rising. He worked on many project that were rolled out during 2016, some of which included the Gardens of Remembrance and Reflection, the opening of the GPO 1916 Exhibition and the TF Meagher foundation event that was held in Croke Park. It was the second largest event that year after the Easter parade and was attended by all the secondary school in the state and President Micheal D Higgins.
Having been appointed to the joint committee of foreign affairs after his first election to the Seanad, Mark has continued to work with many others in our global Irish family. In 2013 Mark was appointed as the first ever spokesperson for the Irish Overseas and the Diaspora and published the first report by any political party on the subject.
Mark serves on the Honorary Board of the Thomas F. Meagher Foundation, which was established in 2013 to promote pride in and respect for the Irish Flag and the understanding its symbolism and meaning for peace. The foundation and Mark worked with the Taoiseach’s Department on updating the protocol around the Irish Flag
Prior to the budget in December 2010, Mark worked on ensuring the HSE would be legally tied into proceeding with new 40 bed hospital in Kenmare. He got a Letter of Acceptance from the Health Service Executive which secured the construction of the new hospital and in May 2014 after a long campaign prosses, Kenmare Hospital was officially opened by the Minister of Health James Reilly.
Before the Seanad
Before being elected as a Senator, Mark worked on the election campaigns to the European Parliament for Brian Crowley MEP in 1994. In 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014 he was part of Brian’s Election Strategy Committee. Marked worked in his father, Sean Daly’s, auctioneers’ office in Kenmare before being elected to the Seanad. In 2002 Mark was a contestant on a reality show, Treasure Island, making it to the last 24 Hours of the show and coming 3rd. At the age of 26, Mark became the Chairman of his local Gaelic Athletic Association, the Kenmare Shamrock Hurling and Gaelic Football club, which was founded in 1886 and is home to All Ireland winning captain Mickey Ned O’Sullivan and Seán o Shea. On being made Chair of the club, Mark led a redevelopment Programme which transformed the clubs' facilities to include a 32,000 square foot flood lit synthetic grass pitch with a sports complex, a basketball court, gym and dressing rooms.
Mark was first elected as one of the youngest members of the 23rd Senate of Ireland in the 2007 election beating three incumbent Party Senators on the first count, an achievement which was featured on the RTE main evening news bulletin Mark Daly Elected to Seanad 26/07/07 - YouTube
Although Mark had never previously contested any elected office, he had been actively involved in the local community, serving as the youngest Chair of the Kenmare Gaelic Football and Hurling Club and he has always been involved in local politics since secondary school and worked on Brian Crowley MEP’S elections campaigns. Following the success of his first term as a Senator, he was re-elected in 2011, 2016 when he received 184,000 votes, the highest number of votes for any candidate in the history of the Senate on that Panel and returned again in the 2020 Seanad election. Mark was elected to the office of 24th Chair of the Senate of Ireland and serves a Leas Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann. He was the first Kerry man and youngest Senator from his party and second youngest individual to hold the office of Chair of the Senate of Ireland.
As Cathaoirleach of the Seanad, Mark chaired the Seanad ' Public Consultation Committee on the Topic of the Constitutional Future of The Island of Ireland’ . This aimed to hear the views of all the people of the island, on the future they would like to achieve for the island of Ireland.
Mark has been working with Members of Congress since 2021 and together they have built the American Irish State Legislatures Caucus, This is a bi-partisan network of current and former American Irish legislators and legislators who are friends of Ireland from across the United States of America at the local and state level of government. The Caucus is inclusive, it is open to everyone, those who have Irish Heritage and those who are supporters of Ireland. https://aislc.org/
From 2017 to 2020 Mark published a series of 6 reports on the topics of Uniting Ireland including the first ever report by a Dáil or Seanad Committee on the issue of 'Uniting Ireland and its people in peace and prosperity'. Following this Mark released a further five reports on the topic of a United Ireland which can be accessed at the Shared Ireland section of this site.
Mark was appointed as rapporteur on the topic of National Anthem by the Seanad Public Consultation in 2018. Following the consultation, for the first time ever, protocols were produced and an Irish Sign Language version of the National Anthem for the deaf community was created.
Mark worked with the Minister for Disabilities in 2016 and together they pass the Irish Sign Language act which gave civil rights to the 50,000 members of the deaf community in Ireland. It was only the 6th time since the enactment of the constitution that an opposition senator passed a piece of legislation.
Mark was involved in the All-Party Decade of Commemorations Working Group in the years leading up to 2016 and the centenary commemoration of the rising. He worked on many project that were rolled out during 2016, some of which included the Gardens of Remembrance and Reflection, the opening of the GPO 1916 Exhibition and the TF Meagher foundation event that was held in Croke Park. It was the second largest event that year after the Easter parade and was attended by all the secondary school in the state and President Micheal D Higgins.
Having been appointed to the joint committee of foreign affairs after his first election to the Seanad, Mark has continued to work with many others in our global Irish family. In 2013 Mark was appointed as the first ever spokesperson for the Irish Overseas and the Diaspora and published the first report by any political party on the subject.
Mark serves on the Honorary Board of the Thomas F. Meagher Foundation, which was established in 2013 to promote pride in and respect for the Irish Flag and the understanding its symbolism and meaning for peace. The foundation and Mark worked with the Taoiseach’s Department on updating the protocol around the Irish Flag
Prior to the budget in December 2010, Mark worked on ensuring the HSE would be legally tied into proceeding with new 40 bed hospital in Kenmare. He got a Letter of Acceptance from the Health Service Executive which secured the construction of the new hospital and in May 2014 after a long campaign prosses, Kenmare Hospital was officially opened by the Minister of Health James Reilly.
Before the Seanad
Before being elected as a Senator, Mark worked on the election campaigns to the European Parliament for Brian Crowley MEP in 1994. In 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014 he was part of Brian’s Election Strategy Committee. Marked worked in his father, Sean Daly’s, auctioneers’ office in Kenmare before being elected to the Seanad. In 2002 Mark was a contestant on a reality show, Treasure Island, making it to the last 24 Hours of the show and coming 3rd. At the age of 26, Mark became the Chairman of his local Gaelic Athletic Association, the Kenmare Shamrock Hurling and Gaelic Football club, which was founded in 1886 and is home to All Ireland winning captain Mickey Ned O’Sullivan and Seán o Shea. On being made Chair of the club, Mark led a redevelopment Programme which transformed the clubs' facilities to include a 32,000 square foot flood lit synthetic grass pitch with a sports complex, a basketball court, gym and dressing rooms.
Family
Mark’s family has a long history of active citizenship. Going back generations his family were involved in the local community, in the Chamber of Commerce, Tidy Towns and various sports organizations. Mark’s grandfather and great grandfather were both involved in the struggle for independence. Mark’s mother Eileen is a long-standing activist in the local community and is descended from generations of O’Connors and O’Sullivans in the Kenmare, Lauragh and Blackwater areas. Marks father Sean Daly is from Tralee, Co. Kerry and is a recognised local athlete, sportsman and a great organiser.
Mark’s mother Eileen is very involved in the community and for decades has been a key part of the Tidy Towns effort and has passed that on to her children and grandchildren.
Mark’s Grandfather, Charlie Daly served during the War of Independence & Civil War. Charlie was a member of Currans Company, 2nd Battalion, Kerry No. 2 Brigade IRA. Commandant General Charlie Daly, Mark’s cousin, was one of the 77 executed during the tragic Irish Civil War. He was shot at dawn in Drumboe, Co. Donegal on the 14th of March 1923 along with Sean Larkin, Tim O’Sullivan and Daniel Enright. Commandant Charlie’s sister May was always involved in politics in Kerry and ran for election in the 1950s. She features in the slideshow below, unveiling the Ballyseedy Monument near Tralee, County Kerry. The Daly tradition of service in the armed forces continued with Mark’s uncle Austin who was a member of the FCA for many years. In 1989, Mark joined the local FCA Unit in Kenmare.
On Mark’s mother’s side of the family, Mark is related to a General in George Washington's Army. The back story: Born in Somersworth in 1740, John Sullivan was the third son of Irish settlers from County Kerry. His father was a schoolmaster. Sullivan studied law under Samuel Livermore of Portsmouth and opened his own practice in 1763 in Berwick, Maine. He moved his practice to Durham in 1764, where he built a friendship with John Wentworth, the royal governor of New Hampshire. Wentworth appointed Sullivan a major in the militia, where he eventually sided with the revolutionary cause. As the war neared, George Washington was appointed commander in chief and several others, including Sullivan, were named generals. After the British evacuated Boston in the spring of 1776, Washington sent Sullivan north to replace the fallen John Thomas as commander in Quebec. Sullivan took command of the faltering invasion force, sent some of those forces on an unsuccessful counterattack against the British at Trois-Rivières and withdrew the survivors to Crown Point. This led to the first of several controversies between Congress and Gen. Sullivan, as they sought a scapegoat for the failed invasion of Canada. He was eventually exonerated and promoted to major general in August 1776. He went on to distinguish himself in several battles, before returning to the practice of law in Durham. He was named the state’s attorney general in 1782 and served until 1786. During this same time, he was elected to the state assembly and served as speaker of the house. He led the drive in New Hampshire that ended with the ratification of the U.S. Constitution on June 21, 1788. He was elected President of New Hampshire (now Governor) in 1786, 1787 and 1789.
Mark’s family has a long history of active citizenship. Going back generations his family were involved in the local community, in the Chamber of Commerce, Tidy Towns and various sports organizations. Mark’s grandfather and great grandfather were both involved in the struggle for independence. Mark’s mother Eileen is a long-standing activist in the local community and is descended from generations of O’Connors and O’Sullivans in the Kenmare, Lauragh and Blackwater areas. Marks father Sean Daly is from Tralee, Co. Kerry and is a recognised local athlete, sportsman and a great organiser.
Mark’s mother Eileen is very involved in the community and for decades has been a key part of the Tidy Towns effort and has passed that on to her children and grandchildren.
Mark’s Grandfather, Charlie Daly served during the War of Independence & Civil War. Charlie was a member of Currans Company, 2nd Battalion, Kerry No. 2 Brigade IRA. Commandant General Charlie Daly, Mark’s cousin, was one of the 77 executed during the tragic Irish Civil War. He was shot at dawn in Drumboe, Co. Donegal on the 14th of March 1923 along with Sean Larkin, Tim O’Sullivan and Daniel Enright. Commandant Charlie’s sister May was always involved in politics in Kerry and ran for election in the 1950s. She features in the slideshow below, unveiling the Ballyseedy Monument near Tralee, County Kerry. The Daly tradition of service in the armed forces continued with Mark’s uncle Austin who was a member of the FCA for many years. In 1989, Mark joined the local FCA Unit in Kenmare.
On Mark’s mother’s side of the family, Mark is related to a General in George Washington's Army. The back story: Born in Somersworth in 1740, John Sullivan was the third son of Irish settlers from County Kerry. His father was a schoolmaster. Sullivan studied law under Samuel Livermore of Portsmouth and opened his own practice in 1763 in Berwick, Maine. He moved his practice to Durham in 1764, where he built a friendship with John Wentworth, the royal governor of New Hampshire. Wentworth appointed Sullivan a major in the militia, where he eventually sided with the revolutionary cause. As the war neared, George Washington was appointed commander in chief and several others, including Sullivan, were named generals. After the British evacuated Boston in the spring of 1776, Washington sent Sullivan north to replace the fallen John Thomas as commander in Quebec. Sullivan took command of the faltering invasion force, sent some of those forces on an unsuccessful counterattack against the British at Trois-Rivières and withdrew the survivors to Crown Point. This led to the first of several controversies between Congress and Gen. Sullivan, as they sought a scapegoat for the failed invasion of Canada. He was eventually exonerated and promoted to major general in August 1776. He went on to distinguish himself in several battles, before returning to the practice of law in Durham. He was named the state’s attorney general in 1782 and served until 1786. During this same time, he was elected to the state assembly and served as speaker of the house. He led the drive in New Hampshire that ended with the ratification of the U.S. Constitution on June 21, 1788. He was elected President of New Hampshire (now Governor) in 1786, 1787 and 1789.
Education
Mark attended local Secondary School Holy Cross College, during which time he led the organisation of the 75th anniversary of the 1916 Rising Celebrations in Kenmare Holy Cross College. Mark also holds a Diploma in Property Valuation from Dublin Institute of Technology and a B.Sc. in Estate Management from Greenwich University, London. In 2011 he completed a Senior Management Program at Harvard University. In January 2015 he attended Boston College’s ‘Irish Institute’ and completed a program in Political Leadership: The Parliamentary and Legislative Process.
Mark attended local Secondary School Holy Cross College, during which time he led the organisation of the 75th anniversary of the 1916 Rising Celebrations in Kenmare Holy Cross College. Mark also holds a Diploma in Property Valuation from Dublin Institute of Technology and a B.Sc. in Estate Management from Greenwich University, London. In 2011 he completed a Senior Management Program at Harvard University. In January 2015 he attended Boston College’s ‘Irish Institute’ and completed a program in Political Leadership: The Parliamentary and Legislative Process.
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