Joe O'Toole

Joseph John "Joe" O'Toole (born 20 July 1947) is a former Irish independent politician, who was a member of Seanad Éireann from 1987 to 2011.

He was born and brought up in Dingle, County Kerry, O'Toole was a teacher for ten years and then a school principal in County Dublin. From 1990–2001, he was appointed General Secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), and from 2001–2003, he was President of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU). He lives in Kilsallaghan, County Dublin.

He was first elected to the 18th Seanad in 1987 for the National University of Ireland (NUI) constituency, he has been re-elected by the same constituency at each subsequent election.

In the Seanad, he was a member of the Parliamentary Joint Finance Committee. His autobiography "Looking under stones: roots, family and a Dingle childhood", was published in 2003.

He retired from politics at the 2011 Seanad election.

References

O'Toole

O'Toole is an Irish surname. It may refer to:

People

Other uses

See also

O'Toole (surname)

People

O'Toole family

The O'Tooles of Leinster, one of the leading families of that province, are descended from Tuathal Mac Augaire, King of Leinster (died 958), who belonged to the Uí Dúnlainge dynasty. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish Ó Tuathail.

Their original territory comprised the southern part of the present County Kildare but they were driven from it during the Anglo Norman invasion and settled in the mountains of what is now County Wicklow around Glendalough.

Here, with their kinsmen the O'Byrne family, they were noted for their tough resistance to English domination for four centuries; including exercising great influence over the foundation of the Confederation of Kilkenny in 1642 in what had become Confederate Ireland.

At the start of the 16th century, there were five great houses, all, owing allegiance to "The O'Toole of Powerscourt" as the recognized chief: