Heather Humphreys
Updated: Wikipedia source
Heather Maud Humphreys (née Stewart; born 1960) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician and credit union manager. A TD for Cavan–Monaghan from 2011 to 2024, she held multiple cabinet positions from July 2014 to January 2025 and was deputy leader of Fine Gael from April to October 2024. Humphreys began her political career serving on Monaghan County Council from 2003 to 2011. First elected to Dáil Éireann at the 2011 general election, she was first appointed to cabinet in July 2014 as Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. She later served as Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation from 2017 to 2020, as Minister for Social Protection and Minister for Rural and Community Development from 2000 to 2025, and temporarily as Minister for Justice in 2022 while her colleague Helen McEntee took maternity leave. In October 2024, she announced her decision to retire from politics, and did not contest the 2024 general election. After Mairead McGuinness withdrew from the 2025 Irish presidential election, Fine Gael nominated Humphreys as its candidate. She received 29 percent of the vote and conceded the election to Catherine Connolly, who received 63 percent.