Dessie Ellis (71) is one of Sinn Féin’s longest-serving Dublin politicians, having first been elected to Dublin City Council in 1999.
After two unsuccessful tilts at the Dáil, he became a TD for Dublin North-West in 2011 – a seat he has held since. He topped the poll in the 2020 election with more than 44 per cent of first preferences.
He has been Sinn Féin’s spokesman on transport, on housing and most recently on drugs. A former TV repairman, he was born and lives in Finglas.
Mr Ellis has acknowledged he was involved in the IRA “at the highest levels” during the Troubles. He was convicted of possession of explosives in 1983 and sentenced to 10 years.
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In 1990, he went on hunger strike in protest at attempts to extradite him to Britain. Extradited on the 37th day of his hunger strike, he was found not guilty by a London jury in 1991.
