Eoin Ó Broin

Eoin Ó Broin TD
Ó Broin in 2016
Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Housing, Planning and Local Government
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 May 2016
Leader	Gerry Adams
Preceded by	position established
Teachta Dála
Incumbent
Assumed office February 2016
Constituency	Dublin Mid-West
Personal details
Born	(1972-09-11) 11 September 1972 Lucan, Dublin, Ireland
Nationality	Irish
Political party	Sinn Féin
Spouse(s)	Lynn Boylan[1]
Alma mater	University of East London Queen's University Belfast
Philosophy career
Era	21st-century philosophy
Region	Western philosophy
School	Socialism, Irish republicanism
Main interests	Social science, politics
Influences James Connolly, Ernesto Laclau

Eoin Ó Broin ([ˈoːnʲ oː ˈbˠɾˠɪnʲ]; born 1972) is an Irish political theorist, writer and Sinn Féin politician. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for Dublin Mid-West since 2016.

Ó Broin is from Cabinteely near Dún Laoghaire in County Dublin, and was educated in Blackrock College. He holds a degree in Cultural Studies from the University of East London and an MA in Irish Politics from Queens University Belfast. Ó Broin was elected to Belfast City Council in 2001,^[2] stepping down in 2004. He was the National Organiser of Ógra Shinn Féin between 1995 and 1997. He was Sinn Féin's Director of European Affairs co-ordinating his party's team in the European Parliament in Brussels, from 2004 to 2007. He is a former member of Sinn Féin's governing body^[3][4] and a regular columnist with the republican newspaper An Phoblacht.^[5]

He campaigned against the Lisbon Treaty and spoke at the National Forum on Europe on behalf of Sinn Féin and the No 2 Lisbon campaign.^[6]

He is also a published writer. His first book, Matxinada - Basque Nationalism and Radical Basque Youth Movements was published in English in 2004 and in Spanish in 2005. His second book, Sinn Féin and the Politics of Left Republicanism was published by Pluto Press in 2009 and the launch was held in Pearse Street Public Library on 16 February 2009.^[7] Ó Broin is also the editor of Left Republican Review. As a freelance writer he has articles published in An Phoblacht, Magill, Village Magazine and The Irish Times.^[8]

He was an unsuccessful Sinn Féin candidate for the Dún Laoghaire constituency in the 2007 general election^[9] in the Republic of Ireland. He ran for the Dublin Mid-West at the 2011 general election. He polled 5,060 votes being beaten to the last seat in the constituency by Derek Keating of Fine Gael. He subsequently declared his intention to run for the Irish Senate, and was defeated in his election campaign. In 2013 Eoin was co-opted by Sinn Féin onto South Dublin County Council to represent Clondalkin after sitting councillor Matthew McDonagh resigned his seat.^[10] In the February 2016 general election, he topped the poll in the Dublin Mid-West constituency and was elected.^[11]

He has said that Sinn Féin is neither Europhile nor Eurosceptic. “The way we look at is: Sinn Féin is Eurocritical”.^[12]

Personal life

Ó Broin is the partner of Lynn Boylan, the Sinn Féin MEP for Dublin since 2014.^[1]

References