Simon Harris has officially become the youngest Taoiseach in the history of Ireland
Though he’s got this big new gig, the father of two young kids promised in his speech that being a dad will remain his “most important job.”
In his speech yesterday he said: “My biggest thank you goes to my wife Caoimhe, who is my rock and an incredible mother to our two beautiful children.
“And lastly to my children Saoirse and Cillian, who mean the absolute world to me. I promise being your dad will remain my most important job.”
Now that he’s the leader of our country, we decided to do a deep dive into all things Simon Harris.
His younger years
Simon grew up in the seaside town of Greystones in county Wicklow.
Even from a young age, he made it clear that he wanted to be Taoiseach even when he was attending St. David’s Secondary School where he became head boy.
He graduated in 2004 and headed to DIT to study journalism but decided to defer his final year to become a TD in 2011 – but not just any TD the youngest one in Irish history at 22 years of age.
His maiden speech in the Dáil was to nominate Enda Kenny as Taoiseach.
He served as Junior Minister in the Department of Finance from 2014 before being propelled to the role of Minister for Health in the Fine Gael-led minority government that was formed in 2016.
Love and family
Simon’s wife and longtime love Caoimhe Wade is a cardiac nurse.
The couple said “I do” back in July of 2017 at St. Patrick’s Church, Kilquade in County Wicklow, followed by a lavish reception at Tinakilly House.
Simon and Caoimhe welcomed their first child, daughter Saoirse, in January 2019.
The couple then welcomed a son, Cillian, in September 2021.
The Fine Gael party member has often gushed about how proud he is to be their father, he said being a dad is “the most important job I have, and ever will have”.
In a 2022 interview with The Irish Times, Simon sweetly admitted that his perspective on life had changed since welcoming his kids to the world.
Speaking about the dynamic of juggling his family life with his demanding work life, Simon said: “I’m in the lucky position as a TD from Wicklow that I live near the Dáil, so I can go home every night, it might be very late at night, but I can go home at night. I’m there every day.”
Speaking about how his work life has been affected by having two children, he admitted his “perspective had changed,” adding: “Things I talk about in work now are not abstract to me anymore. I do notice that myself.”
Simon has two younger siblings, Gemma and Adam, whom he is very close with. Gemma was a bridesmaid for his wife Caoimhe at their wedding, while Adam served as Simon’s best man.
Harris called for more information on autism after his brother was diagnosed.
So, he called a local meeting, encouraging any parents out there, whose children had been diagnosed to attend.
TikTok Taoiseach?
As the youngest Taoiseach in our nation’s history, Simon shows it by being down with the kids…kind of.
The father of two was one of the first members of the government to join TikTok, though at first, he did spell it ‘TicTok’.
His bio reads: “Government Minister. Wicklow TD. Optimist.” and he often uses the account to speak directly to his followers or just give a look into his day-to-day life.
He must be doing something right though as he boasts a rather impressive 92,000 followers and over 1.8million likes.
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