Joan BurtonJoan Burton TD Minister for Social Protection

Joan Burton is a Dáil Deputy for the Dublin West constituency, which is a rapidly growing constituency that covers areas as diverse in their social makeup as Castleknock and Mulhuddart and includes the Connolly Hospital, the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre and Dublin airport within its boundaries.

Joan was first elected to the Dáil in 1992 and again in 2002 and in 2007. She is the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and that Party’s spokesperson on Finance which makes her a key player in challenging the Government.

Joan, Eamon and Jan

Joan is a member of the Finance Committee and is the first woman TD to be appointed Finance Spokesperson of a major party.

In the 1992-97 Government she was Minister of State for Development Cooperation and Overseas Aid (‘94 to ’97). As Minister of State in Foreign Affairs, she initiated a dramatic expansion of Ireland’s Aid Programme in Africa. As Minister of State in Social Welfare (’92 to ’95) she initiated a series of Welfare to Work and Education initiatives for lone parents and families on Social Welfare.

Joan is a Chartered Accountant who trained and worked with Price Waterhouse in Dublin prior to becoming a Senior Lecturer in the Dublin Institute of Technology. Joan is married to Pat Carroll, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics at the DIT Bolton St. They have one daughter Aoife, law graduate of TCD, who now works as a barrister in Dublin.

Joan and her daughter Aoife

10 Things You Never Knew About Joan Burton

  1. Joan’s first job was in Dunnes Stores.
  2. Joan’s favourite author is Jane Austen.
  3. Joan was secretary of the Irish anti-apartheid movement in the 1980’s.
  4. Joan’s signature dish is cheesecake & ice cream.
  5. Joan was among the first women to become a qualified chartered accountant in Ireland.
  6. Joan is an avid gardener.
  7. Joan was the first woman to become Finance spokesperson of a major Irish political party.
  8. Joan’s favourite musician is Leonard Cohen.
  9. Joan was one of the first Irish students ever to work on a J1 Summer visa in the US.
  10. Joan was made a Minister of State on her first day in the Dáil in 1992.

Joan's Videos

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