Alan Dillon


Alan Dillon is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has been a Teachta Dála for the Mayo constituency since the 2020 general election.
Previous to entering politics, he was a two time All Star winning Gaelic footballer for Mayo and a captain of the Mayo senior Gaelic football team.

Gaelic football career

He played football with his local club Ballintubber in County Mayo and was a pivotal member of the Mayo senior football team from 2003 until his retirement in 2017, playing in 6 All-Ireland finals. His fine-tuned skill, his sharp roving eye and his clever reading of the game all contribute to his exceptional footballing abilities. Dillon won his first All Star award in 2006 and a second All Star award in 2012.
On 28 November 2017, Dillon announced his retirement from inter-county football.

Politics

Following his retirement from inter-county football in 2017, there was much speculation that Dillon would replace former Taoiseach Enda Kenny as a Fine Gael candidate for Mayo. In January 2018, Dillon announced his intention to stand for local elections in 2019, but later decided not to run.
He has numerous links to Fine Gael, an aunt having been Enda Kenny's Castlebar secretary and her husband being Kenny's driver and a county councillor. In 2020, he successfully stood as a Fine Gael candidate for the 2020 Irish general election in the Mayo constituency.

Personal life

He is married to Ashling, and they have one son. Dillon has participated in a marketing campaign for Ireland West Airport Knock. Dillon attended Davitt College in Castlebar for his Secondary school education. He studied at NUI Galway, and played for the university football team. Dillon has a M.Sc. in Pharmaceutical Science from the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from NUI Galway, and a B.Sc. in Applied Mathematics and Biology from Maynooth University.