Political groups

1994-1995: Group of the European Democratic Alliance
1995-1999: Group Union for Europe
1999-2002: Union for Europe of the Nations Group
2009-2014: Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe

National parties

1994-2002: Fianna Fáil Party
2009-2014: Fianna Fáil Party

Biography

Pat “the Cope” Gallagher is from Dungloe, Co Donegal. He was educated at Rosses Community School, Dungloe, Coláiste Éinde in Salthill and at University College Galway, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in 1970. He worked as a fish exporter until 1982, becoming involved in local politics in 1979.

Gallagher was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1981 general election for Fianna Fáil, a seat he would maintain until the 1997 general election. Gallagher was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Marine from 1987 to 1989 and from 1992 to 1993. He also worked as Minister of State at the Department of the Gaeltacht from 1989 until 1993. He was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht from 1993 to 1994.

In 1994, he was elected to the European Parliament as an MEP for the Connacht–Ulster constituency, where he was affiliated with the Group of the European Democratic Alliance. He was re-elected at the 1999 and 2009 European Parliament election. Immediately after the 2009 election, Gallagher became head of Fianna Fáil's European delegation. During his time as MEP, Gallagher was a member of the Committee on Fisheries (1994-2002 and 2009-2014, Vice-Chair from 1994 to 1997), the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy as well as the Subcommittee on Monetary Affairs (1994-1999), and the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy (1999-2002). He was a substitute member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (1994-1995), the Committee on Budgets (1995-2002) and the Committee on Regional Development (2009-2014). From 1997 to 1999, Gallagher was a member of the Delegation for relations with Switzerland, Iceland and Norway and served as Chairman of the Delegation for relations with Switzerland and Norway and to the EU-Iceland Joint Parliamentary Committee and the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary Committee (DEEA) from 2009 to 2014. He was also a member of the Delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries and the Gulf States (1994-1997) and the Delegation for relations with the United States (1999-2002). He was Vice-President of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe from 2009 to 2014.

Newly elected members of the Committee on Fisheries in Strasbourg in July 1994. L-R: Miguel Arias Cañete, Niels Anker Kofoed, Heinz Kindermann, Pat "the Cope" Gallagher © European Communities 1994 - European Parliament

He returned to national politics to successfully contest the 2002 general election for Fianna Fáil. He was appointed Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government in June 2002. From 2004 to 2006, he was Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. Gallagher was thereafter appointed Minister of State at the Department of Transport, where he served until 2007. From 2007 to 2008, he served as Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children with special responsibility for Health Promotion and Food Safety.

Gallagher was again elected to Dáil Éireann in 2016. He served as Leas-Cheann Comhairle (deputy chairperson) of Dáil Éireann from 2016 to 2020.

For more information on his time as an MEP, click here. 

What's in the archives?

The documents of this archive make it possible to study part of Pat "the Cope" Gallagher's activities as a Member of the 7th parliamentary term (2009-2014). The MEP followed all the reports in relation to the challenges related to the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy as a member of the Committee on Fisheries from 2009 to 2012. Parliamentary reports, notes, letters, press releases are the predominant types of documents and they are always focused on this topic. Other cases on other issues are more incomplete and less important. These include correspondence as Chair of the Delegation for relations with Switzerland and Norway and to the EU-Iceland Joint Parliamentary Committee and the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary Committee.