Matt Carthy
Matt Carthy (born 19 July 1977) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician serving as Teachta Dála (TD) for Cavan–Monaghan since 2020.[1][2] He previously represented Midlands–North-West in the European Parliament from 2014 to 2020.[3][2] Carthy holds the party role of spokesperson on justice, home affairs, and migration, and chairs the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice.[2] Carthy entered politics in 1999 when elected to Carrickmacross Town Council at age 21, serving 14 years and acting as mayor on two occasions.[2] He joined Monaghan County Council in 2004, securing re-election twice before 2014 and serving as county mayor from 2008 to 2009.[2] During his MEP tenure, he focused on agriculture and rural development, exposing instances of corporate tax avoidance and advocating for family farmers.[2][4] Known for emphasizing rural Ireland's interests, Carthy has campaigned for greater transparency in public spending and supports Ireland's military neutrality as a basis for foreign policy influence.[2][5] In the 2020 general election, he received 16,310 first-preference votes, the highest ever recorded for Sinn Féin in the constituency.[2]Early life and background
Family origins and childhood in Ireland
Matt Carthy was born in Birmingham, England, in 1977 to Irish parents.<grok:render type="render_inline_citation">Education and formative political influences
Carthy attended Inver College in Carrickmacross for his secondary education.[6] He later enrolled in marketing studies at the Dublin Institute of Technology, completing one year of the program.[7] While at the Dublin Institute of Technology, Carthy established a Sinn Féin college branch, marking his initial formal engagement with the party.[7] He became a founding member of Ógra Shinn Féin, the party's youth wing, and later served as its national organiser from 1998 to 2000.[2] These activities involved direct activism, including protests such as chaining himself to buildings to draw attention to political causes.[8] Carthy's political worldview developed outside a familial republican tradition, as he did not originate from a politically active or republican household.[8] Born in Birmingham to Irish parents, he encountered anti-Irish prejudice in Wales during the late 1980s amid IRA-related tensions, and later experienced confrontational British Army patrols near the Irish border, particularly in South Armagh, which he described as profoundly angering and instrumental in forming his republican outlook: "I didn’t come from a republican family, but experiencing the hostile British Army patrols was very, very angering… it shaped me a lot."[8] The 1997 election of Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin as the first Sinn Féin TD from the Republic further inspired his commitment to the party.[8]Political career
Local government roles (1999–2018)
Carthy first entered local government in 1999, securing election to Carrickmacross Town Council as a Sinn Féin candidate with 133 first-preference votes (6.70% of the valid poll), placing fifth among nine elected members.[7][9] At age 21, he became the youngest elected representative in Monaghan County.[7] He was re-elected to the town council in 2004, topping the poll with the highest first-preference vote share in the contest.[9] In June 2006, Carthy was selected by fellow councillors as the inaugural Sinn Féin mayor of Carrickmacross Town Council, serving a one-year term focused on local development priorities such as infrastructure and community services.[10] Parallel to his town council service, Carthy won a seat on Monaghan County Council in the 2004 local elections for the Carrickmacross electoral area, attaining the quota of approximately 1,316 votes on the first count with 1,408 first preferences (17.77% of the valid poll).[11] He secured re-election there in 2009, finishing second behind Fianna Fáil's Pádraig McNally.[12] During his county council tenure, Carthy advocated for regional issues including rural housing, transport links, and agricultural supports, participating in committees addressing these domains. Carthy did not contest the 2014 local elections, instead prioritizing his successful candidacy for the European Parliament in the Midlands–North-West constituency, where he was elected as a Sinn Féin MEP.[13] This marked the conclusion of his local mandates, coinciding with the dissolution of town councils under local government reform; his county council term from 2009 expired with the election cycle.[14]European Parliament service (2019–2020)
Matt Carthy was elected to the European Parliament in the election of 24 May 2019, representing Sinn Féin in the Midlands–North-West constituency as part of the Group of the European United Left – Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL). He assumed office on 2 July 2019 following the constitutive session.[3] During his brief tenure, Carthy served as a full member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) from 2 July 2019 to 7 February 2020, focusing on policies affecting rural economies and farming, consistent with his prior term's emphasis. He acted as substitute member for the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) in the same period. In delegations, he was a full member of the Delegation for relations with South Africa and substitute for the Delegation for relations with the United States, engaging on bilateral issues including trade and development.[3] Carthy contributed as shadow rapporteur to opinions on the 2018 budget discharges for the European Banking Authority, European Securities and Markets Authority, and European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority, issued on 27 January 2020. He abstained from votes on the macro-financial assistance report to Jordan (A9-0045/2019) on 17 December 2019, opposing loan-based aid linked to IMF structural adjustment programs; and on EU agreements with Switzerland (A9-0043/2019) and Liechtenstein (A9-0044/2019), citing privacy risks from the Prüm decision on cross-border data sharing. These positions aligned with Sinn Féin's critiques of austerity and surveillance measures.[3] His service ended on 7 February 2020 upon election as Teachta Dála (TD) for Cavan–Monaghan in Ireland's general election on 8 February 2020, vacating the seat to comply with Sinn Féin's single-mandate policy. Chris MacManus, the next candidate on the party list, succeeded him, assuming the MEP role on 2 March 2020.[3][15][16]Dáil Éireann tenure (2020–present)
Matt Carthy was elected as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cavan–Monaghan constituency on 8 February 2020, securing 16,310 first-preference votes in the five-seat constituency during the general election that formed the 33rd Dáil.[2] Initially appointed Sinn Féin's spokesperson on agriculture, food, and the marine, he advocated for reforms in the Common Agricultural Policy, fairer payments to family farmers, and addressing issues in the meat processing industry.[2] In this role, he co-sponsored the Education (Voluntary Contributions) Bill 2021 at Second Stage and contributed to Public Accounts Committee scrutiny of public expenditure.[1][2] In 2023, Carthy shifted to Sinn Féin's spokesperson on foreign affairs and defence, critiquing government stances on Irish neutrality and Defence Forces investment while addressing international conflicts.[2] He co-sponsored the Commission on the Future of the Family Farm Bill 2024 at Second Stage, reflecting ongoing agricultural priorities.[1] Throughout the 33rd Dáil, he participated in debates on domestic policy areas including migration and justice access for victims.[1] Re-elected to the 34th Dáil in the general election of November 2024, Carthy received 15,121 first-preference votes and secured the second seat after a prolonged count.[17][18] In April 2025, he was appointed chairperson (Cathaoirleach) of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, overseeing inquiries into urgent matters such as international protection and criminal justice reforms.[1][19] Concurrently serving as Sinn Féin's spokesperson on justice, home affairs, and migration, he has prioritized increasing community Gardaí numbers and tackling inefficiencies in the asylum system.[2] Carthy sponsored the Victims of Sexual Violence Civil Protection Orders Bill 2025 at First Stage and engaged in Dáil discussions on the General Scheme of the International Protection Bill 2025 in October 2025.[1] He tabled parliamentary questions on prison conjugal visits, legal services regulation reviews, and broadcasting court proceedings in October 2025.[1] Additionally, he contributed to a Sinn Féin motion on planning for Irish unity in October 2025.[1]