Shane Cassells Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Senator
Office:Senator
Term Start:29 June 2020
Constituency:Labour Panel
Office1:Teachta Dála
Term Start1:February 2016
Term End1:February 2020
Constituency1:Meath West
Birth Date:6 April 1978
Birth Place:Navan, County Meath, Ireland
Nationality:Irish
Party:Fianna Fáil
Spouse:Fiona Healy
Children:3
Alma Mater:Griffith College Dublin

Shane Cassells (born 6 April 1978) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as a Senator for the Labour Panel since April 2020. He previously served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Meath West constituency from 2016 to 2020.[1] [2]

Before being elected as a TD, Cassells worked for the Fingal Independent as a sports journalist,[3] and with publishing house Devlin Media.[4] He is a nephew of footballer Joe Cassells,[5] and of Peter Cassells, former head of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.[6]

Cassells was first elected to Navan City Council in 1999, and was a member of Meath County Council from 2004 to 2016, serving as Mayor of Navan twice.[7] [8] He contested the 2005 Meath by-election for Fianna Fáil but was not elected. He contested the 2011 Irish general election in the Meath West constituency, but again was not elected.[9]

He was elected on his third attempt at the 2016 general election, and his seat was considered to be safe, but he lost his seat at the 2020 general election, as his share of first preferences fell from 27.4% to 16.2%.[10]

In April 2020, he was elected to Seanad Éireann as a Senator for the Labour Panel.[11]

Cassells is married to Fiona Healy, and they have three children.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shane Cassells. Oireachtas Members Database. 25 February 2019.
  2. Web site: Election 2016: Shane Cassells . . 27 February 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20210211044915/https://www.rte.ie/news/election-2016/candidates/754345-shane-cassells/ . 11 February 2021.
  3. Web site: McGee . Harry . 2005-02-03 . Cassells to stand for FF . 2022-06-04 . Irish Examiner . en.
  4. Web site: Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail) . 2022-06-04 . Meath Chronicle . en-US.
  5. News: How the lessons of his footballing days followed Brendan Gleeson in his acting career. Irish Independent. Niall. Scully. 31 July 2024.
  6. Web site: A lifelong labour of love. Irish Independent. 23 May 2004. 26 December 2016. Joe. Jackson.
  7. Web site: Shane Cassells. ElectionsIreland.org. 25 February 2019.
  8. News: Profile: Shane Cassells (FF) . 2022-06-04 . The Irish Times . en.
  9. Web site: 2015-12-17 . Shane Cassells. RTÉ News . en.
  10. News: Meath West results: Surprise at Fianna Fáil loss as seismic shift to left . Louise . Walsh . 10 February 2020 . 9 February 2020 . . Dublin . 9 June 2021 . live . https://archive.today/20210609045949/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/meath-west-results-surprise-at-fianna-f%C3%A1il-loss-as-seismic-shift-to-left-1.4165517 . 9 June 2021 .
  11. News: Seanad election results: Full list of Senators voted in to new Seanad . 4 April 2020 . Marie . O'Halloran . . Dublin . 5 June 2021 . live . https://archive.today/20210605185117/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/seanad-election-results-full-list-of-senators-voted-in-to-new-seanad-1.4221106 . 5 June 2021 .