Michael Healy-Rae the Dáil’s biggest landlord with 18 rental properties declared

Kerry junior minister Michael Healy-Rae also says that he has shares in the New York Times. Picture: Sam Boal/Collins Photos

Kerry junior minister Michael Healy-Rae is the largest landlord in the 34th Dáil, with multiple TDs and ministers owning rental properties across the country.

The Independent TD has 18 rental properties which is the highest among all members of the Dáil, according to the most recent Register of Members Interests.

His rental properties mainly consist of houses, as well as student accommodation. Mr Healy-Rae also owns a B&B guesthouse, as well as a service station in Kilgarvan.

He sets out a number of occupations in his return, including postmaster, service station owner, operator of plant hire shop and “owner of rental properties”.

The Kerry TD also says that he has shares in the New York Times.

Fianna Fáil junior minister Robert Troy describes one of his occupations as a landlord, with the TD owning multiple properties. These include a rented house in Ballynacargy, Co Westmeath, three rental apartments in Mullingar and four rented properties in Dublin.

He is the 100% owner in two of the above, but as of December 31, 2024, was seeking to buy out his partner to take 100% control of all his rental properties.

Mr Troy previously faced significant scrutiny over his declarations on the Register of Members Interests, with it eventually leading to his resignation from the government.

Newly-elected TD Gillian Toole has nine rental properties, according to her declaration, spread out across Dublin and Meath.

Seán Canney, a Government super junior minister, has a 50% stake in six separate rental properties, of which three are apartments. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

The Regional Independent TD also has a commercial letting for a post office in Meath, as well as owning a site currently under construction on Flower Hill Grove in Navan. Ms Toole also lists her role as a director of a company, EGG Pt. Ltd., which is redeveloping four derelict houses in Navan.

Seán Canney, a Government super junior minister, has a 50% stake in six separate rental properties, of which three are apartments. All of these properties are located in Tuam, Co Galway.

New Wicklow TD for Fine Gael, Edward Timmins, says in his declaration that he has four separate rental properties, of which three are outside the country. Mr Timmins says he owns two properties in the German town of Baden Baden, while another one of his properties is in Evian in France.

Other TDs with multiple rental properties include Fianna Fáil junior ministers Timmy Dooley and Michael Moynihan, as well as Sinn Féin’s Johnny Guirke.

Elsewhere in the Cabinet, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has only declared his Turners Cross constituency office, which he noted was bought with a mortgage from AIB.

Mr Martin has previously said that under the rules he is not required to declare his West Cork holiday home or the Dublin residence he uses while the Dáil is sitting as these are both owned by his wife.

Tánaiste Simon Harris had nothing to declare and is joined in this by minister for public expenditure Jack Chambers, minister for education Helen McEntee and minister for health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.

However, agriculture minister and farmer Martin Heydon and minister for higher education James Lawless are the only landlords among the 15 senior Cabinet ministers, with the former leasing a farm and the latter renting one property.

Another farmer sitting at Cabinet is minister for enterprise Peter Burke who owns two farms, one secured with a Bank of Ireland mortgage and the other inherited from his father.