Peadar Tóibín


Peadar Tóibín is an Irish Aontú politician who has served as Leader of Aontú since January 2019. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Meath West constituency since 2011. He previously served as Chair of the Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs from 2016 to 2018. In January 2019, he founded a new political party called Aontú.
He was elected as a Sinn Féin candidate in 2011, but resigned from the party on 15 November 2018.

Career

Sinn Féin (2004–2018)

At the 2004 local elections, he stood unsuccessfully for Navan Town Council, and for the Navan local electoral area of Meath County Council. He was co-opted onto Navan Town Council in November 2007, and held that seat at the 2009 local elections, when he was again unsuccessful in the county council election.
Tóibín was suspended from the Sinn Féin parliamentary party for six months in July 2013, when he defied the party whip by voting against the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013.
He called for a 'No' vote in the 2018 Referendum on the Eighth Amendment. He and his party colleague Carol Nolan, who had been suspended from Sinn Féin for voting against policy on the abortion issue, were the only representatives from the party to attend a photocall in Merrion Square in Dublin to publicise the 'No' campaign.
Tóibín was again suspended from the Sinn Féin parliamentary party for six months in October 2018, when he defied the party whip by voting against the Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Bill 2018.
On 15 November 2018, Tóibín announced his resignation from Sinn Féin, saying that restrictions imposed on him by the party over his views on abortion had "prevented me from fully representing my constituents".

Aontú (2019–present)

After resigning from Sinn Féin in November 2018, Tóibín announced that he would attempt to establish an alternative republican and conservative party. On 28 January 2019, he revealed that the name of his new political party would be Aontú, Irish for "unity" or "consent".
At the 2020 general election, Tóibín retained his seat in Meath West with 7,322 first-preference votes, or 17.6%, coming in second.

Personal life

He is a business consultant. He is married to Deirdre Tóibín, they have four children. He was the Chairperson of the Save Navan Hospital Campaign. He has a degree in Economics and Politics from University College Dublin and was an active member of the Kevin Barry Cumann during his time there.