Pat the Cope Gallagher

Pat the Cope Gallagher (Irish: Pádraigh Ó Gallchóir Cope; born 10 March 1948) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician. He is a former ALDE Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the North-West constituency, having previously served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Donegal South–West constituency and as a junior minister.

Background

Gallagher was born in Burtonport, a fishing port in The Rosses in the west of County Donegal in Ireland. He is the grandson of Paddy 'the Cope' Gallagher, of the Irish Co-Operative movement. He was educated at Dungloe Secondary School, St. Enda's College, Galway, and 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 middle name '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 serves as Chairman of the delegation for relations with Switzerland, Iceland and Norway and to the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary Committee.