About Ciaran Cuffe
Ciarán Cuffe was first involved in politics by marching to save the Viking settlement at Wood Quay in the 1970’s. Born in Shankill in 1963, he went to school at the Children’s House Montessori School in Stillorgan, Gonzaga College in Ranelagh, and University College Dublin, followed by a year at the University of Venice, Italy.
He has degrees in architecture and town planning from University College Dublin, and lectured in urban planning at the Dublin Institute of Technology, Bolton Street prior to his election to the Dáil.
He represented Dublin’s south inner city as a city councillor on Dublin City Council for twelve years from 1991 – 2003. He was elected as a TD for the Dún Laoghaire constituency in 2002, and was re-elected in 2007.
He joined the Green Party in 1982, and campaigned with Students against the Destruction of Dublin in the 1980s to protect Dublin’s heritage, and promote light rail. He has campaigned on transport, planning and environmental issues.
He was one of the first to call for a modern tram system for Dublin in 1991, and looks forward to the Luas being extended to Cherrywood and Bray. He is a keen cyclist, and has ridden his bicycle coast-to coast-across the United States.
He has made the case for proper planning instead of urban sprawl, and has campaigned to save the Shankill Bray green belt from development, as well as supporting the Sutton to Sandycove cycleway around Dublin Bay. He has organised the Dublin Bay Futures Conference as well as Green Energy Fairs at Leopardstown Racecourse.
He has campaigned on climate change issues for over a decade, and wants Ireland to be a world leader in sustainable development policies at home and abroad. He is a member of Amnesty International, An Taisce and the Dublin Cycling Campaign.
In 2010 he became Minister of State with special responsibility for Sustainable Transport, Horticulture, Planning and Heritage. This work is spread over three departments: Transport; Environment, Heritage, and Local Government; and Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
