Meteoric rise of Mayo TD Alan Dillon continues as he becomes a Minister of State
Mayo Fine Gael TD Alan Dillon has been appointed Minister of State at the Department of Housing with responsibility for planning and local government.
His promotion, which comes during his first term in office, was confirmed by his new party leader, Taoiseach Simon Harris.
Deputy Dillon, who took the fourth and final seat in the Mayo constituency in the 2020 general election with a combined total of 10,977 votes, following transfers, is chairman and former secretary of Fine Gael.
The 41-year-old's appointment is a massive boost for the former Mayo GAA star, as well as the FG organisation in Castlebar, ahead of the next general election, scheduled for early next year.
With long-serving Westport-based TD and former minister Michael Ring unlikely to be in the race, Dillon will be elevated to the role of the party's senior figure in the constituency.
It represents a meteoric rise for the two-time GAA All-Star winner who was selected by Fine Gael four years ago to replace former Taoiseach Enda Kenny on the party ticket in the last general election.
Despite being written off in some quarters due to the fact he did not have previous political experience, he won a seat at the expense of the then outgoing Castlebar Fianna Fáil TD Lisa Chambers after putting in an exhausting campaign.
Considering that he was 1,175 votes behind Chambers after the first count, his achievement was a significant one.
A key factor in his 2020 election success was his name recognition which gave him exceptionally strong vote transfer pulling power, including a total of 1,095 transfers from Achill-based Green Party candidate Saoirse McHugh.
The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic shortly after the election restricted his plans to hit the ground running as quickly as he wished due to the nation virtually closing down.
But he soon established a reputation as a hard-working, conscientious and energetic TD with the help and support of his constituency office staff, local councillors and volunteers.
He won national acclaim for his questioning skills during the work of the Public Accounts Committee and Oireachtas Committee in seeking to undercover the facts in respect of RTÉ's financial scandals.
His new role will see him coming under renewed pressure in respect of the promised investment in Castlebar's historical core project, which includes works on the dilapidated Imperial Hotel (if it is not sold to a private investor) and Military Barracks in the county town.
The Military Barracks site has been put forward as a suitable location for the aforementioned Mayo College of Further Education, with Deputy Dillon actively involved in this proposal.
He has also been campaigning for proposed athletic track, playing fields at dome facility at Knockaphunta, Westport Road, and the extension of the emergency department at Mayo University Hospital.
However, his new responsibilities at the Department of Housing also presents him with a huge challenge in respect of seeking to address the country's housing crisis.
Before entering public life, Alan, a former student of Davitt College, Castlebar, was a self-employed company director who worked with many leading multi-nationals in the life sciences sector, specialising in Pharma, Bio-Pharma and Medtech.
He provided validation consulting and engineering managed services for large capital projects and supported clients on quality and regulatory compliance issues.
Alan holds a Bachelor’s degree (B.Sc.) in Applied Mathematics and Biology from Maynooth University, a Master’s degree (M.Sc.) in Pharmaceutical Science from the RCSI and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from NUI, Galway.
A life-long learner, he also holds a post-graduate certificate in professional leadership.
During his 18-year Gaelic football career, he won five Mayo SFC titles with Ballintubber and eight Connacht SFC medals with Mayo.
He made 134 appearances for his county from 2003 to 2017 and scored a total of 3-225. Alan is also a former team captain of Mayo.
Since his football retirement, he has maintained a high level of fitness and is a regular participant at 10K and half-marathon races throughout the county.
He is married to Ashling (Cunningham) and they have two children.
Local Fine Gael councillors Ger Deere, Donna Sheridan and Cyril Burke have joined in extending congratulations to Minister Dillon on his appointment and look forward to working with him in his new role.