Dublin’s newest TD Daniel Ennis
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk. With Aviva Insurance.
I'm joined in the studio now by Daniel Ennis of the Social Democrats and Dublin's newest TD. After only three years in politics, Daniel won the Dublin Central seat in the recent by-election, formerly held, of course, by the former Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure, Pascal Donoghue. So congratulations, firstly, on your achievement. Thanks very much, Clare. How's the first couple of days have been? First week, isn't it, that you've been in the Dáil? Yeah, first week, yeah.
How did Daniel Ennis become Dublin's newest TD?
Yeah it's still quite overwhelming you know I'm delighted obviously and very very proud like it's a very very proud moment for myself and my family Clare so just trying to embrace all of that and I can't wait just to keep getting back to working hard for Dublin Central What was it like going in there for the first time on Tuesday? It was a bit mad. It was. There's no doubt about that, Clare. It's still all quite new to me. But from my mum and my brother and my fiance, they weren't out on any canvases or anything. So they weren't seeing the lovely buzz that we're getting off people and the great reaction. And they're not anyway involved in politics. So that was their first interaction with all of that.
So the media scrum was the first piece. And then I think my mum, Chloe and Jeff went home like three ghosts. You know, after seeing me walking around the doll chamber and shaking hands with the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and all the other party members, because they're almost looking at it from a camera on my shoulder, you know, and it's... It's a bizarre experience for them.
Oh, it is. But it sounds like your mum sort of warned you about it before you went into politics, didn't she? She said, all of this stuff is going to be brought up, you know, your dad's background, all of that. So was she worried about you?
Ah, she was, of course. You know, like, see, a lot of our family history is exploited by crime or addiction or, like, you know, we're afraid to look backwards sometimes. You know, so when anyone in our communities are doing well, there's almost, like, a wraparound, like, just be careful.
What was Daniel's experience during his first week in the Dáil?
You know, like, sometimes we get the feeling, like, that we don't belong in those circles. And that happened to me when I first entered politics, Clare. I was very much, like, kind of questioned the way I spoke. You know, me accent, like, around the halls of Leinster House when I would start working with Gary. I was like, do I change the way I speak? You know, and... and my mum kind of was saying that like the papers will share stories about your dad like you know just be careful just again it was a worry because we can deal with when you're kind of when things are going wrong because we're used to that but when you're doing well or you're kind of entering into a world that we're not used to And yeah, there's a wraparound there.
And how did you rationalise that? So, yeah, they're going to bring up stuff that's going to be uncomfortable. I'm going to have to talk about it. How did you process that? Like, how did you make the decision that that was going to be something that you could deal with, you could cope with?
Well, first of all, Clare, it's very much not my story. You know, it's my dad's past, you know, and like it was the first, like as my mum said, your dad had a first very hard and horrible first 25 years of his life, you know, grew up in entrenched poverty. And in the early 90s, he went to prison and came out and made a decision to turn his life around. You know, that was all when I was a child. I knew nothing of that. You know, all I knew my father to be was a good father and a good community person. And like what I know of my father and like, He's turned some of my best friend's lives around, took them away from going down the wrong road. And his work is remembered by me and by everyone in the community as someone who helped people within the community and set up an at-risk football club.
You know, I suppose it's not even him I'm talking about there.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:32
2
How did Daniel Ennis become Dublin's newest TD?
0:32–1:48
3
What was Daniel's experience during his first week in the Dáil?
1:48–5:34
4
How does Daniel's family background influence his political journey?
5:34–9:38
5
What challenges does Daniel face regarding his family's past?
9:38–20:43
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from The Claire Byrne Show
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