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Profile: Simon Harris

06/04/2024

Simon Harris

BBC Radio 4 - Profile, Simon Harris

Ireland's youngest and newest Taioseach in waiting.

Simon Harris is set to become Ireland's newest and youngest Taioseach on Tuesday. With less than a year to make his mark, due to a general election, how will he do?

Although Simon Harris reportedly describes himself as an 'accidental politician', he has managed to make a career out of it. His interest in politics was sparked at the age of 15 when he set up a support group in his local town to campaign for better secondary education for autistic people after he saw his parents struggle to get help for his younger brother. From then on his path was set. After a brief dalliance with Fianna Fail he joined the youth wing of the Fine Gael party at 17. He gave up his degree studies in year three of a four year course to work as an assistant to the then leader of the opposition in the Irish Parliament. By the age of 24 he was elected to parliament with the nickname 'Baby of the Dail' and was a junior minister by the age of 27. Since then he's held two further ministerial posts.  

Now, after the shock resignation of former Taioseach, Leo Varadkar in late March, he was elected unopposed as leader of the Fine Gael party and now is expected to be confirmed as the new Taoiseach when the parliament returns after the Easter break. With a new nickname, 'The Tik Tok Taoiseach' because of his use of social media he's on track to break another record, set by his predecessor as the youngest Taoiseach in history to date.  

Kate Lamble finds out what makes him tick outside of Tik Tok and his rapid rise to the top job in Irish politics. 

PRESENTER: Kate Lamble

CONTRIBUTORS

Frances Fitzgerald, MEP, Dublin, Ireland

Councillor Ray McAdam, Fine Gael

Alice O'Donnell, Triple A Alliance 

Jennifer O'Leary, BBC Ireland Correspondent 

Fionnan Sheahan, Ireland Editor, The Irish Independent 

PRODUCTION TEAM

Producers: Julie Ball & Madeleine Drury
Researcher: Jay Gardner 
Editor: Tom Bigwood 
Production Co-ordinators: Katie Morrison & Sabine Schereck 
Sound: Nigel Appleton

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