Michael Healy-Rae tops list of TDs who own land, adding 42-acre forest to portfolio

One–third of Dáil TDs own land or properties, according to latest Register of Members’ Interests

Michael Healy-Rae retains his position as the TD with the most extensive property portfolio. Photo: Sam Boal/Collins Photos
Michael Healy-Rae retains his position as the TD with the most extensive property portfolio. Photo: Sam Boal/Collins Photos

Just over a third of TDs in the new Dáil have declared interests in land or properties according to the newly published Register of Members’ Interests.

Independent Minister of State for Agriculture Michael Healy-Rae retains his position as the TD with the most extensive property portfolio.

Meanwhile, several other TDs declared ownership of multiple properties, including new Meath East Independent TD Gillian Toole.

In all, 61 TDs disclosed land or property interests – aside from their homes – in declarations for 2024.

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This is 35 per cent of the 174 TDs – roughly the same proportion of deputies that declared such interests during the last Dáil.

Declarations included everything from residential and commercial investment properties to farmland, constituency offices and holiday homes.

Mr Healy-Rae is a landlord of 18 properties, mostly in his home county of Kerry.

A B&B in Tralee and 42 acres of forestry land at Kilgarvan were added to his property portfolio in 2024.

He also declared more than 100 acres of farmland and a service station among 27 entries in the land and property category.

Ms Toole made 10 entries under the same category, some of which have multiple units.

She declared a commercial letting property in Dunshauglin, the letting of two residential properties in Lucan and the letting of four houses in Navan among other properties listed. Four more properties in Navan are described as “building site, under construction”.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne, in his declaration, said he attended the “policymakers’” tour of Nato headquarters in Brussels and Shape, (the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe), the command centre for Nato operations.

He said the trip last September was organised by the US embassy in Dublin. In his declaration of interests, he said the costs involved were train travel from London to Brussels, a flight to Dublin, hotel and meals.

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Mr Byrne said he was the co-convener of the Ireland-US parliamentary friendship group and had an interest in defence and security issues.

He said during the visit there were meetings with Nato officials and talks with Irish representatives working with Pesco, the framework where EU member states co-operate on shared capability projects to enhance the operations of their respective armed forces.

A reporter from The Irish Times also attended the briefings at Nato headquarters in September. All expenses relating to the trip were covered by this newspaper.

Martin Wall

Martin Wall

Martin Wall is the Public Policy Correspondent of The Irish Times.

Cormac McQuinn

Cormac McQuinn

Cormac McQuinn is a Political Correspondent at The Irish Times