Timing is Everything
THOMAS BYRNE TD Sitting across a large and socially distant conference table, the newly appointed inister of State for uropean Affairs and former solicitor explains to Killian Morris how success, in his legal and political career, has been down to a mixture of hard work and good fortune
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o many opportunities in life come to those who are in the right place at the right time and it seems that this affable unior inister has taken every opportunity life has presented to him. It is also abundantly clear how his legal training and experience as a solicitor have in uenced his political career and he is particularly anxious to recognise the central role that his friends and colleagues have played in his development. e spend a while chatting before the interview starts about mutual connections, (like all politicians he knows a lot of people ) and he name checks a number of those from his LL course in Trinity as being some of his closest friends today. Thomas yrne grew up in rogheda, the eldest of seven children. is father, Thomas Snr, was a local auctioneer who was always very ambitious for his children and encouraged them all to attend college. Thomas and his sister ary, now a partner in rien Lynam, both ended up as solicitors but Thomas had initially wanted to study history and politics in Trinity. e recalls “unfortunately, at the time, the points were too high but I ended up getting my second choice, which was Law in Trinity. My Dad had always wanted me to do law as he had a lot of dealings with solicitors as
14 the Parchment
I was disappointed at the time, but, as I like to say to young people now, sometimes it can ust land the right way and you take your opportunities
an auctioneer in Drogheda. I was disappointed at the time, but, as I like to say to young people now, sometimes it can just land the right way and you take your opportunities.” The start of university life also led him to take his first step into politics. “I joined the Fianna Fáil Cumann on my first day in Trinity; my Dad, who was a County Councillor wanted me to join” as he explains how he first got involved in party politics. e also mentions that two cousins, on his mother s side, ichael and Colm illiard, had been T s for eath over many years. That said, he had to confine his Fianna F il involvement to within the walls of Trinity College as he knew he couldn t have campaigned for Fianna F il in rogheda, given his father s position was as an Independent on the Council. Thomas also involved himself in the Law Society and the Students nion while on campus. ne of his lecturers on the LL course was the late rian Lenihan, former inister for Finance. e remembers fondly how close the relationship between the pair became “Brian was always a great mentor to me in politics. We always had a great connection, we [the Trinity Cumann] used to help him out on his early campaigns and then, subsequently, he helped me a lot when I first ran for the Dáil in
