Historic first for Donegal as openly gay man elected to Council

Topping the poll in the Milford electoral area today is newcomer Declan Meehan, a local community worker and LGBTQ+ campaigner who is the first openly gay man to be elected as a public representative in Donegal.

Meehan received 1,739 first preferences on the first count, ahead of legacy Fianna Fáil incumbent Liam Blaney.

Meehan ran a campaign that championed community development, social inclusion and rural regeneration. Well-known in the local area as the Manager of Milford and District Resource Centre, he secured €2million of funding for local initiatives over the past five years. He also spearheaded successful community integration projects following new arrivals of refugees into north Donegal.

“I am proud to be elected today to represent the interests of all people in our local area. At a time when we are seeing increasing divisions nationally, Friday’s vote is a ringing endorsement of what we in Donegal all know; our community is welcoming and progressive – we are unified and not divided,” said Meehan, this afternoon from the count in Letterkenny.

“I am humbled to be a part of history today as the first openly gay man elected to public office in Donegal. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to everyone who came out and voted, to those who worked tirelessly on my campaign and to all those who came before, paving the way for me to stand here today as a proud gay man and a proud member of our community.”

Meehan also acts as the Chairperson of the Swilly-Mulroy Community Health Forum and Chairperson of Ray Community Group and is an elected member of the Donegal Public Participation Network’s secretariat. He has been involved in several local and national campaigns over the past decade, including those focused on civil and human rights and community advocacy. Declan was a co-founder and former Chairperson of the national LGBTQ+ education charity, ShoutOut, and prior to that he was Deputy Director of Cara-Friend, a Belfast-based NGO.

Declan lives with his husband Dr Pádraig McGuinness, a local GP, and their beloved cocker spaniel, Fionnuala. The couple married in 2019 following years of campaigning locally and nationally in Ireland and Northern Ireland for the right to have their relationship recognised under the law.