Political Career
He was first elected to the Seanad in 1987, on the Cultural and Educational Panel as a nominee of the Library Association of Ireland (LAI). He retained his seat at each subsequent election until losing it in the 2007 election. He was a member of Leitrim County Council from 1991–1999.
In April 2008, Mooney was nominated to the position of Chairman of Fáilte Ireland North West, one of five Regional Tourism Boards in Ireland charged with promoting their regions and attracting tourists.
Mooney was selected as running mate to Seán Ó Neachtain as a Fianna Fáil candidate at the 2009 European Parliament election for the North–West constituency. Following the announcement by O'Neachtain that he was not contesting the election due to health reasons, Pat the Cope Gallagher was nominated to contest the constituency as Mooney's Fianna Fáil running mate. Gallagher was elected as an MEP but Mooney was unsuccessful.
On 19 January 2010 Mooney was elected on the first count in a Seanad by-election caused by the death of Senator Peter Callanan in October 2009. As a result he took a seat on the Agricultural panel in the 23rd Seanad returning after an absence of two and a half years. He was re-elected in the 2011 Seanad Election.
Read more about this topic: Paschal Mooney
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“Generally speaking, the political news, whether domestic or foreign, might be written today for the next ten years with sufficient accuracy. Most revolutions in society have not power to interest, still less alarm us; but tell me that our rivers are drying up, or the genus pine dying out in the country, and I might attend.”
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