Winning the third seat in Dublin Bay North marks the high-point so far of Cian O’Callaghan’s political career, though at 40 he already has two decades of political activism behind him.
Originally from Sutton but now based in Howth, O'Callaghan served stints in Labour and as an Independent before joining the Social Democrats in 2013.
He studied philosophy and politics, and completed a higher diploma in social policy at UCD. In 2009, he was elected to Fingal County Council, where he worked actively with homeowners suffering pyrite problems. Three years later he was elected Ireland’s first openly gay mayor – as it was reported at the time.
Described by supporters as “highly principled” and “without ego”, he left Labour in 2013 over his opposition to austerity budgets and later stood for the council as an Independent.
In 2016 he contested Dublin Bay North for the Social Democrats but was unsuccessful. Currently acting as spokesman on energy and climate change, he was comfortably elected in the 2020 general election on the back of transfers from other left-wing candidates.
