Mol an Óige: Barry Heneghan TD
First elected to the Dáil in November 2024, Deputy Barry Heneghan represents the Dublin Bay North constituency as an independent. Aged 26, he is the third youngest TD in the 34th Dáil. Sitting down with Joshua Murray, the first-time TD discusses his pragmatic and much critiqued approach to politics, support for the Government, and a new approach to solving the housing crisis.
In his short time in the Dáil to date, Heneghan – a protégé of long-time former independent TD and Minister of State, Finian McGrath – has not been afraid to be bold in his political calculations.
Heneghan has enjoyed a meteoric rise in electoral politics, being elected to Dublin City Council for the first time in May 2024, being elected to the Dáil in the following November, and subsequently playing an influential role in the formation of the new government.
Having described himself during the general election campaign as “left-wing”, the Dublin Bay North TD has subsequently aligned himself to an unlikely group of fellow travellers in the form of the Regional Independents Group and its de facto leader, Michael Lowry TD.
Although he claims credit for some his policy priorities, such as support for his Private Wires Bill, being put into the Programme for Government, Heneghan says that his entry into full-time politics has been “a bit of a baptism of fire” which “has been difficult at times”. He insists, however, “at the end of the day, I am just sticking to the key issues that I ran on and aim to deliver for people”.
“Right now, I am supporting the Government, and that is purely to be in a better position to be able to deliver for Dublin Bay North, just as Finian [McGrath] did before. As an independent, you are there because people put you there rather than a political party.”
Political origins
Heneghan’s political origins can be traced to McGrath, who served as an independent Dublin TD from 2002 to 2020. Like Heneghan, McGrath garnered a reputation as a man ‘of the left’ but also served in government alongside Fine Gael under both Enda Kenny and Leo Varadkar.
Heneghan says: “My family would have voted for Finian. I have always respected the independent movement. I really respect someone that has no alliance with a political party and just acts on what the people want. At the end of the day, that is what I have always done.”
Heneghan’s political consciousness was nurtured from an early age, influenced by strong activist figures in his life. “My best friend’s mother, Ellie Lanigan, was Finian McGrath’s PA for 20 years,” he explains. “Ellie’s mother, Phyllis McGee, was a political advocate back in the 1960s and 1970s. She actually chained herself to the Dáil gates and was very big on Cuba and Nicaragua back then.”
“In November 2023, Ellie was diagnosed with cancer. I was very upset. So, I painted a painting of Che Guevara with the Poolbeg chimneys and dropped it off to Ellie in the Mater [Misericordiae University Hospital], and she was delighted. Then Finian McGrath was visiting, and he saw the painting and asked me to paint him one.”
That moment of artistic expression subsequently evolved into a political opportunity. “Finian said: ‘The local election is coming up. Do you want to throw your name in the hat? We’ll back you.’ So, Damien O’Farrell [a former independent councillor from Clontarf] was stepping down, and they both endorsed me. We ran a four-week campaign with leaflets arriving only three weeks before the election. Despite that, I ended up getting the highest [first preference] vote share of any independent in Dublin City Council.”
Heneghan says that the root of his electoral success is deep community connections he has built. “I was a swimming teacher, a delivery driver for the local Chinese [takeaway], and a barman. If you are getting your pints, getting your Chinese, or your child is getting taught swimming, you’ll know who I am.”
Heneghan says that his move from Dublin City Council to the Dáil was the result of momentum and recognition that his presence could bring a fresh perspective to national politics.
“We were looking forward to the general election, and there were three TDs stepping down. I had the energy, I had seen how Dublin Bay North had been neglected, and I wanted to do something. Rather than give out, I wanted to put my name in the hat and see if I could do a better job.”
Pragmatism and posturing
Heneghan’s early months in the Dáil have been defined not just by his rapid rise, but also by his confused positioning within the political landscape. While he firmly identifies as an independent and as a “centre-left” politician, his decisions since taking office suggest a pragmatic, chameleon-like approach to securing influence and delivering for his constituents.
One of the earliest instances of this came with his nomination of Senator Sharon Keoghan, a politician with a history of opposition to LGBT+ rights, to the Seanad. The decision sparked significant criticism from politicians on the left, particularly given Heneghan’s personal advocacy for LGBT+ rights.
In response, he explains that the rationale for this nomination was based on Keoghan’s effectiveness in assisting independent councillors, rather than an endorsement of her views. “I obviously was not aware of some of the things that she had done being anti-LGBT, and I do not align myself with those,” he stated. However, asked if he would make the same choice again Heneghan concedes: “Knowing the backlash I got, probably not.”
The Dublin Bay North TD’s decision to align with the Regional Independents Group (RIG), which has provided support to the Government, has also raised questions about how he balances independence with political leverage.
“At the end of the day, I am here to deliver for Dublin Bay North, and this was the best option for me to do that,” he says, acknowledging that not all members of the group share his political views. Nevertheless, he frames the choice as one of realpolitik: “Politics is about pragmatism, and I am here to get stuff done.”
This theme of pragmatism materialises again when discussing his vote against the Occupied Territories Bill, a piece of legislation aimed at banning imports from illegal Israeli settlements.
“There are going to be things that I have to vote for that I do not fundamentally agree with because it keeps me with the access to deliver for my constituents.”
Barry Heneghan TD
Heneghan justifies his vote by citing the broader strategic need to remain in a position where he could effectively advocate for his constituents. “There are going to be things that I have to vote for that I do not fundamentally agree with because it keeps me with the access to deliver for my constituents,” he asserts.
He further says that he has “rectified it” by pressing the Government on when the Occupied Territories Bill will be reintroduced and has met with the Ambassador to the State of Palestine, Jilan Wahba Abdulmajid.
Heneghan adds: “I think it is very important that it is not just goods that we boycott, but also include the natural resources in occupied territories, because that is a huge part of what is being exported.”
Ideology and priorities
In addition to identifying as “centre-left,” Heneghan says that he is “very forward thinking”. “We need to stop thinking in election cycles and start thinking in decades,” he asserts.
On his broad vision for Ireland, Heneghan expresses strong support for Ireland’s membership of the EU and says that he supports the unification of Ireland, although he clarifies that “it is not something that can or should be rushed”.
When asked about world leaders he admires, Heneghan points to French President Emmanuel Macron and his handling of diplomatic relations, particularly with Donald Trump. “Macron knows how to stand his ground while keeping communication open,” he says, praising Macron’s ability to protect France’s and the EU’s interests in a complex geopolitical reality.
Heneghan’s passion is most evident when discussing the housing crisis, as he emphatically states: “It is insane that we have over 100,000 vacant homes while people are homeless or paying extortionate rents,” he says.
“We need to rejuvenate the houses that already built. What is the point of a house sitting there when there is a family dying to get into it? It is ridiculous and I am fed up with it.
“There are families of five or six in my constituency who are still living together in three-bedroom houses, struggling, and they are living on a road with two or three blocked-up houses. The housing crisis needs to be tackled, and we need to be robust.”
As a solution, Heneghan calls for higher vacant property taxes, streamlined planning processes, and more modular housing. “We need to be bold,” he insists, adding that the Government needs to be “ballsy” to tackle the crisis effectively.
Ambitions
Heneghan’s political flexibility suggests that the 26-year-old TD has immense personal ambition. However, when asked if he ever aims to be a government minister or even Taoiseach, he insists: “I will always support a government to deliver for Dublin Bay North. I think if you go for a ministerial role, you will not get as much for your constituency, and that is what I am to do.”
He further states that joining a political party is not on his radar: “I will always be independent and support the people who are putting people first, not a political party.”
When asked if any party aligns with his views, he insists “no,” but adds: “I have some ‘green’ aspects, but I would be more solutions based, and I think sometimes the Greens can be religious rather than realistic. There are a lot of other political parties that I maybe would take pieces of.
“I think that is the beauty of an independent. I am not a political party; I am Barry Heneghan, and I am here for people in Dublin Bay North who put their trust in a 26-year-old engineer, swimming teacher, and Chinese delivery driver, because they wanted someone who was going to shake things up and that is exactly what I am going to do.”
