Michael McNamara TD to marry ex-president’s granddaughter

A Labour TD is set to marry the grand-daughter of former president Patrick Hillery.

The engagement of Clare backbencher Michael McNamara and fellow barrister Sarah Hillery was announced in The Irish Times on St Valentine's Day.

Mr McNamara contested the 2011 Dáil election against his future father-in-law, Dr John Hillery of Fianna Fáil.

The Labour deputy was elected at his first attempt to win a seat, securing 8,572 first preference votes while Dr Hillery got 6,015 and was eliminated on the ninth count.

Ms Hillery delivered the eulogy at the funeral mass of her grandmother, Maeve Hillery, last month. She holds a BCL (European Legal Studies) and LLM (Human Rights). The couple has not set a date for the wedding yet.

It has been reported in Clare that her father Dr Hillery is expected to seek a Fianna Fáil nomination to contest the next General Election. Dr Hillery is a consultant psychiatrist of Blackrock, Co Dublin, who was born and has a base in Spanish Point.

Former president Patrick Hillery died in 2008. He was president from 1976 until 1990. He previously served in a number of cabinet posts in Fianna Fáil-led governments, including minister for education and minister for foreign affairs, and was Ireland’s first European commissioner.

Both Mr McNamara and Ms Hillery have also been called to the bar of England and Wales.