Profile of Minister Michelle Gildernew

The new Minister for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is Michelle Gildernew.

Michelle Gildernew is in her 30's and is from Dungannon, County Tyrone. She is married to Jimmy and is the mother of two boys - Emmet and Eunan. Michelle is one of a family of 10 from a small family farm in county Tyrone. Her family were involved in the civil rights campaign in the 1960s including events in Caledon, county Tyrone in 1968.

Michelle was educated at St Joseph's Primary (Caledon) and St Catherine's College in Armagh before continuing her studies at the University of Ulster, Coleraine. After leaving university Michelle travelled extensively in Europe, the United States and Australia where she worked for a year. On her return in 1996 she stood for Sinn Féin in the Forum elections for Fermanagh/South Tyrone. In 1997 she was appointed Sinn Féin representative to London. She was elected MLA for Fermanagh/South Tyrone in the 1998 Assembly elections and has successfully retained her seat in the 2003 and 2007 elections. While in London she was part of the first Sinn Féin delegation to Downing Street in December 1997.

She has been a member of the party's Ard Chomhairle (National Executive) and has served on the Equality sub-committee and the Women's Forum. In the last Assembly she served as Vice Chair of the Committee of Social Development and was a member of the Committee of the Centre as well as statutory and ad hoc committees. Michelle Gildernew was elected MP for Fermanagh/South Tyrone in June 2001 and re-elected in 2005.