Mary Lou Mcdonald Biography, Wikipedia, Husband, Net Worth, Salary, Age, Father, Children, Family

Mary Lou is an Irish politician by profession. Since June 2020 she had served as Leader of the Opposition in Ireland. He was also the President of Sinn Fein since February 2018. Mary was born into a middle-class family in South Dublin.

The following information on Mary Lou McDonald’s Biography, Net Worth, Age, Family, Parents, Siblings, Children, Salary, Husband and Nationality is all you need to know.

Mary Lou McDonald Biography

Mary Louise McDonald (born 1 May 1969) is an Irish politician who has served as Leader of the Opposition in Ireland since June 2020 and President of Sinn Féin since February 2018. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Central constituency since 2011. She previously served as Vice President of Sinn Féin from 2009 to 2018 and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Dublin constituency from 2004 to 2009.

Mary Lou McDonald Parents

Born into a middle-class family in south Dublin to builder and surveyor Patrick McDonald and housewife Joan, her parents separated when she was 9 years old and she stayed with her mother in Rathgar. She has an older brother Bernard and younger twin siblings Patrick and Joanne. Her sister Joanne was involved with the socialist republican party Éirígí in the late 2000s and is a teacher. Her brother Patrick works as an intellectual property lawyer and Bernard as a scientist. McDonald’s great-uncle, James O’Connor, was an member of the Anti-Treaty IRA who was executed at the Curragh Camp during the Irish Civil War. He was charged with illegally possessing firearms, which carried the death penalty at the time. O’Connor was 24 years old at the time.

Mary Lou McDonald Education

McDonald was educated at the Catholic all-girls, Notre Dame Des Missions in Churchtown, South Dublin, where she was involved in debating.

After school, McDonald attended Trinity College Dublin, from which she received a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. She later studied industrial relations at Dublin City University, and also received a Master of Arts degree in European Integration Studies from the University of Limerick in 1995. She worked as a researcher for the Institute of European Affairs, a consultant for the Irish Productivity Centre (a human resources consultancy that was jointly operated by Ibec and ICTU) and a trainer in the Partnership Unit of the Educational and Training Services Trust.

Mary Lou McDonald Career

McDonald became involved with the Irish National Congress, a cross-party republican organisation, and became chairperson in 2000, leading a protest in Dublin against the involvement of the city’s Lord Mayor in the unveiling of a plaque at the location where the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland held its first meeting in 1798.

At a Sinn Féin party conference on 18 November 2017, Gerry Adams was re-elected party leader, but announced that he would ask the Sinn Féin party leadership to call for a special Ard Fheis to be held within three months to choose a new president, and that he would not stand for re-election as TD for the Louth constituency in the next election.

At the close of nominations to succeed Adams on 20 January 2018, McDonald was announced as the President-elect of Sinn Féin, as she was the sole nominee to enter the race. She was confirmed as president at a special Ard Fheis on 10 February 2018 in Dublin.

In March 2019, McDonald was criticised by some, including Fine Gael politician Simon Coveney, for walking behind a banner in the New York City St. Patrick’s day parade which read “England Get Out of Ireland”. In the immediate aftermath of the incident support for Sinn Féin in opinion polls dropped from 18% to 13%, with McDonald apologising for her actions shortly afterwards, but stated she believed the message to be directed at the British state, not the English people.

Shortly afterwards on 24 May 2019, the 2019 European Parliament election in Ireland and 2019 Irish local elections were held simultaneously. In the European elections, Sinn Féin lost 2 MEPs and dropped their vote share by 7.8%, while in the local elections the party lost 78 (almost half) of their local councillors and dropped their vote share by 5.7%. The result was considered “disastrous” for Sinn Féin. McDonald stated “It was a really bad day out for us. But sometimes that happens in politics, and it’s a test for you. I mean it’s a test for me personally, obviously, as the leader”.

However, at the 2020 general election, the party rebounded and attained 24.5% of the first preference votes, placing them ahead of Fine Gael by 3.6% and Fianna Fáil by 2.3%. It was the best general election result in the modern history of Sinn Féin. In the Dublin Central constituency, McDonald topped the poll with 35.7% of the first preference votes.

McDonald touted the party’s electoral success as a “revolution” and expressed her desire to form a coalition government, declaring that Ireland “is no longer a two-party system”. Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy credited McDonald’s leadership and her ability to clarify Sinn Féin’s policies to the electorate with contributing to the stark turn around between the May elections of 2019 and the general election result of 2020. McDonald’s high satisfaction rating as party leader was also cited by others as another contributing factor in Sinn Féin’s result.

On 26 June 2020, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and the Green Party formed a coalition government, leaving Sinn Féin as the largest opposition party, and McDonald as Leader of the Opposition. She dismissed the coalition agreement as a “marriage of convenience”, and accused Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael of conspiring to exclude Sinn Féin from government.

Mary Lou McDonald Husband

Who is Mary Lou McDonald husband? Mary Lou McDonald is married to Martin Lanigan, they had their wedding in 1996. Her husband Martin Lanigan works as a gas control superintendent for the emergency dispatch division of Gas Networks Ireland, a state infrastructure provider. The couple has two children Iseult McDonald, and Gerard McDonald.

She learned Transcendental Meditation “for resilience and for keeping myself grounded and calm.” However, Mary Lou McDonald has asthma. In April 2020, she announced that she had tested positive for COVID-19 following a test she took on 28 March. In a statement, she said that she had recovered from the condition but had developed pleurisy in her right lung. She said that the Public Health Doctor had told her that she was no longer infected or infectious.

Mary Lou McDonald Net Worth

has an estimated Net Worth of $5 million. Her main source of income is from her career as a politician. McDonald successful career has earned her some luxurious lifestyles and some fancy cars trips. She is one of the richest and influential politicians in Ireland. Her salary is around $165 to $378,000.