Terry Leyden
Terry Leyden was born October 1st 1945. He is a member of the Irish Seanad Éireann for the Fianna Fáil party and a former Teachta Dála.
Political Career[edit]
Terry Leyden has a long standing career in Irish politics. His first election to to Roscommon County Council was in 1974. He won a second term in 1979 and a third one in 1985. He won a seat in the Dáil Éireann on his first attempt, at the 1977 general election. After that he was re-elected four more times.
He served as Minister of State at the Department of Transport and Minister of State at the Department of Posts and Telegraphs from March to December 1982. From 1987 to 89 he also served as Minister of State at the Department of Health, and from 1989 to 92 as Minister of State for the Department of Industry and Commerce.
In 1999 Leyden was once more elected to Roscommon County Council, a position that he held until the ending of the dual mandate. Leyden was also a member of the Western Health Board from 1992 to 2002, and was Chairman from 2001 to 2002.
In 2002 he won another term in the Seanad, as part of the Labour Panel. He was re-elected in 2007 and again in 2011. He is the current Fianna Fáil Seanad spokesperson on Children and European Affairs.
Notable Works[edit]
Terry Leyden has been very active in the field of human rights. Concerning the Balkan area he was one of the election monitors in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the year 1998. The following year he established the Kosovo Refugee Aid; of which he was appointed Project Co-ordinator. Concerning specifically the Middle East, he was the Convenor of the Friends of Palestine in the Oireachtas and also led the parliamentary delegation to Palestine in 2005. In 2006 he traveled to Kenya to visit drought areas, under UNICEF and GOAL projects.
