Pat "the Cope" Gallagher

This article is about the politician. For the founder of the Cope co-operative, see Paddy "the Cope" Gallagher.

Pat "the Cope" Gallagher TD
Gallagher in 2014
Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann
In office 7 July 2016 – 10 February 2020
Ceann Comhairle	Seán Ó Fearghaíl
Preceded by	Michael P. Kitt
Succeeded by	Catherine Connolly
Minister of State
2007–2008	Health and Children
2006–2007	Transport
2004–2006	Communications, Marine and Natural Resources
2002–2004	Environment, Heritage and Local Government
1993–1994	Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht
1992–1993	Marine
1989–1993	Gaeltacht
1987–1989	Marine
Teachta Dála
Incumbent
Assumed office November 2024
In office February 2016 – February 2020
Constituency	Donegal
In office May 2002 – 4 June 2009
In office June 1981 – June 1997
Constituency	Donegal South-West
Member of the European Parliament
In office 1 July 2009 – 20 May 2014
Constituency	North-West
In office 1 July 1994 – 30 June 2002
Constituency	Connacht–Ulster
Personal details
Born	Patrick Gallagher (1948-03-10) 10 March 1948 Burtonport, County Donegal, Ireland
Political party	Fianna Fáil
Spouse	Ann Gillespie (m. 1970)
Children	5
Alma mater	University College Galway
Website	patthecope.com

Patrick Gallagher (Irish: Pádraig Ó Gallchóir; born 10 March 1948) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 2016 to 2020 and as a Minister of State from 1987 to 1994 and from 2002 to 2008. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1981 to 1997, 2002 to 2009, 2016 to 2020, and again since November 2024. He also served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1994 to 2002 and from 2009 to 2014.

Background

Gallagher was born in Burtonport, a fishing port in The Rosses in the west of County Donegal. He is the grandson of Paddy 'the Cope' Gallagher, of the Irish Co-Operative movement. He was educated at Dungloe Secondary School – Rosses Community School, Coláiste Éinde in Salthill and at University College Galway (UCG), where he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in 1970. He worked as a fish exporter until 1982, becoming involved in local politics in 1979.

Family

His nickname 'The Cope' refers to his family connection to The Cope agricultural cooperative which operates in The Rosses area of west Donegal. This name is used in his profile on the Fianna Fáil website and on the European Parliament website. Gallagher was a member of the European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries and also served as chair of the delegation for relations with Switzerland, Iceland and Norway and to the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary Committee.

Gallagher's wife, Ann Gillespie, and her sister, Eibhlin, both served almost 10 years of a 15-year sentence for conspiracy and explosive charges. In 1974, the sisters were visiting a house in Manchester when a bomb being made there exploded. Gillespie maintains her innocence, saying police used evidence from a discredited scientist, Frank Skuse, but does not wish to reopen the case. In 2005, Gillespie's solicitor Gareth Peirce stated that she believed the case could have been successfully re-opened.

Political career

Gallagher was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1981 general election, retaining his seat until retiring at the 1997 general election. Gallagher was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Marine from 12 March 1987 to 12 July 1988. He was appointed Minister of State at the Department of the Gaeltacht in July 1987, serving in that post until 11 February 1992 and again in the same post from 13 February 1992 until 12 January 1993. He was appointed Minister of State at the Department of the Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht on 14 January 1993.

In 1994, he was elected to the European Parliament as an MEP for the Connacht–Ulster constituency, and was re-elected at the 1999 European Parliament election. During his period in Europe, Gallagher was a member of a number of committees including Fisheries, Economics and Monetary and Industry and Energy.

He returned to domestic politics to successfully contest the 2002 general election, and was appointed Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government in June 2002. In Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's reshuffle in 2004, he was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Environment and Local Government and at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources from 29 September 2004 to 14 February 2006. Following a period in this role, Gallagher was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Transport from 14 February 2006 where he served until 14 June 2007. From 20 June 2007 to 12 May 2008, he served as Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children with special responsibility for Health Promotion and Food Safety. He was not re-appointed after Brian Cowen became Taoiseach in May 2008.

He was elected as an MEP for the North-West constituency at the 2009 European Parliament election. Immediately thereafter, Gallagher replaced Brian Crowley as the head of Fianna Fáil's European delegation; this promotion came in the aftermath of Crowley publicly attacking the party's decision to join the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party. Gallagher was a member of the European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries.

Gallagher lost his seat at the 2014 European Parliament election.

In the 2016 general election, he ran alongside sitting TD Charlie McConalogue as the two Fianna Fáil candidates in the new five-seat Donegal constituency. Gallagher was elected on the 11th count, after McConalogue was elected on the first count. He lost his seat at the 2020 general election, with Pádraig Mac Lochlainn winning back the seat Gallagher had won at his expense in 2016.

In September 2024, Gallagher was selected to contest the 2024 general election for the Donegal constituency, along with Charlie McConalogue.

External links

• Pat the Cope Gallagher's page on the Fianna Fáil website
• Personal profile of Pat "the Cope" Gallagher in the European Parliament's database of members