Galway West byelection: Who is Fine Gael's newest TD Seán Kyne?

Kenneth Fox

Despite Government candidates rarely winning byelections, Fine Gael's Seán Kyne bucked that trend by winning the recent byelection in Galway West.

The seat became vacant after Catherine Conolly was elected President, which prompted the recent byelection.

In a tightly contested election, Fine Gael's Seán Kyne came out on top despite getting fewer first preference votes than Independent Ireland's Noel Thomas.

Kyne got more transfers overall, leaving him with 19,219 votes compared to Noel Thomas' 16,519.

Who is the party's latest TD, and what is his history in politics? Here is what you need to know about Seán Kyne...

Born in Moycullen, Co Galway, Kyne would end up studying at NUI Galway and University College Dublin, where he studied agricultural science at both (a primary degree in Galway and a master's degree in Dublin).

He would go on to work for over a decade as an agri-environmental consultant in Connemara.

Kyne entered politics during the 2004 local elections, where he was elected to the Galway County Council for Connemara.

He was re-elected to Galway County Council in 2009, having unsuccessfully contested Galway West at the 2007 general election. He was also unsuccessful at the 2007 election to the 23rd Seanad, when he stood for the Agricultural Panel.

In the 2011 general election, he beat the current President, Catherine Conolly, by a margin of just 17 votes.

Kyne was re-elected as a TD in 2016 and later served as minister of State for the Gaeltacht and government chief whip under then taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

He lost his Dáil seat in the 2020 general election but became a Senator the same year.

In the days following the 2024 general election, Seán Kyne announced he was quitting politics after failing to take a Dáil seat for the second general election in a row.

He had previously served as a Fine Gael TD between 2011 and 2020, and asked about his decision to leave politics, he told Galway Bay FM “I’ve been retired by the electorate”.

As it happens, Kyne reversed his decision to leave politics within weeks, and he later successfully contested the 2025 Seanad election, taking a seat on the cultural and educational panel.

He explained the change of heart, saying he had received calls from constituents in Galway West and Fine Gael colleagues in the parliamentary party to stay in politics.

Kyne also said at the time: “Also, there is now no TD of any party resident in Connemara so I feel there is a role to be played.”

Now the Moycullen-based Irish speaker is headed back to the Dáil after his victory in the Galway West byelection

Kyne, who celebrated his 51st birthday during the byelection campaign, has been in politics for more than 20 years.

The biography on his campaign website describes how his childhood was “shaped by the outdoors” and how “farming is in my blood and something I love”.