Norma Foley


Norma Foley is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Minister for Education since June 2020. She has been a Teachta Dála for Kerry since 2020.

Local politics

Foley was previously a member of Kerry County Council for the Tralee area, serving from 1994 until her election to the Dáil in 2020. She also served as a member of Tralee Urban District Council until its abolition in 2014.

Parliamentary career

After failing in her bid to secure a nomination as a general election candidate in Kerry North in 2002, Foley was added to the Fianna Fáil ticket as Tom McEllistrim's running mate in the same constituency in 2007. She polled 4,937 first preference votes and finished fifth overall in the three-set constituency after being eliminated on the third count.
Foley again failed in her bid to secure a nomination as a general election candidate in 2016, but was a late addition to the ticket as a third Fianna Fáil candidate in the Kerry constituency in advance of the 2020 general election. She polled 6,856 first preference votes and secured the fifth and final seat at the expense of the her party colleague John Brassil on the eighth count. On her first day in the Dáil, Foley proposed her party leader Micheál Martin in his successful bid to become Taoiseach.

Minister for Education

Foley was appointed Minister for Education in June 2020 following the formation of a new coalition government.

Personal life

She is a teacher at Presentation Secondary School, Tralee. She is married to fellow teacher Denis Maguire. Her parents are Denis and Hannah Foley. Her father Denis Foley was a Fianna Fáil TD for Kerry North from 1981 to 1989 and 1992 to 2002.