Profile: Eamon Ó Cúiv (FF)

Fianna Fáil TD Eamon Ó Cúiv, who will be 66 in June, is best known as "Dev Óg" – being the grandson of his party's founder and former president of Ireland Eamon de Valera. Ó Cuív was first elected to the Dáil in 1992, having previously served in the Seanad, and was appointed minister of state. He was appointed to Cabinet in 2002 as Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs – a post he held till March 2010 – and during his term he is credited with the Official Languages Act which included appointing the State's first Irish language commissioner. Few TDs understand the rural-urban divide quite the same way as he does, having been born and educated in Dublin and having moved west to manage a Gaeltacht co-operative. He is no stranger to controversy, having publicly admitted to voting against the Nice Treaty in the first referendum in spite of party policy in favour. He has called several times for Ireland to return to the Commonwealth, particularly in the light of devolved government in the North. He was appointed to the social protection post in a Cabinet reshuffle in March 2010, and took the additional posts in January 2011 of Defence and environment – the latter after Green Party TD John Gormley's resignation. After Brian Cowen resigned as leader of Fianna Fáil in late January 2011, he announced his candidature for the top post, but was beaten by Micheál Martin, who appointed him as deputy leader that August. He resigned the deputy leadership in February 2012 due to his unhappiness with his party's position on the EU Fiscal Treaty, subsequently carried in a referendum. He was appointed party spokesman on agriculture, food and community affairs in July, 2012.