Personal Life
McDaid's private life has long been a source of interest in the Irish media. The breakdown of his marriage, and the subsequent publication of a book by his ex-wife, revealed the details of their troubled marriage and separation.
In April 2005 McDaid was arrested when found driving drunk in the wrong direction on a dual carriageway outside Dublin. Oncoming vehicles were forced to swerve to avoid his car, which was eventually forced to stop when a haulier blocked his path. Tests showed a blood alcohol level of 267mg, more than three times over the legal limit of 80 mg. He was subsequently convicted of dangerous driving while intoxicated and drunken driving, banned from driving for 2 years and fined €750. However he was returned his licence after only a year. The case attracted media attention and McDaid was described as 'a disgrace' and 'an idiot'. He acknowledged that these descriptions were accurate, and stated that he was genuinely sorry for his actions.
Three years earlier, as junior Transport Minister in November 2002, he had spearheaded the Government's anti-drink driving campaign, warning that 'some drivers still choose to ignore our drink driving laws, and as a result innocent lives are destroyed'.
He currently lives with his partner, Siobhán O'Donnell, a former barmaid, and the couple's son, Neal.
Read more about this topic: Jim McDaid
Famous quotes related to personal life:
“The dialectic between change and continuity is a painful but deeply instructive one, in personal life as in the life of a people. To ‘see the light’ too often has meant rejecting the treasures found in darkness.”
—Adrienne Rich (b. 1929)