Background
O'Dowd was born in 1967 in a rural community between Lurgan and Banbridge south west of Belfast.
chef politician Member of the Legislative Assembly of Northern Ireland
O'Dowd was born in 1967 in a rural community between Lurgan and Banbridge south west of Belfast.
He briefly took on the duties of deputy First Minister in 2011 while Martin McGuinness ran in the 2011 Irish presidential election. O'Dowd says the defining political moment of his life was the 1981 hunger strikes. O'Dowd previously trained as a chef before engaging in politics.
In 2003 he was elected as MLA for Upper Bann. Following the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2011 John O'Dowd was nominated by Sinn Féin to assume the duties of the office for Minister for Education. Following the decision by Sinn Féin to nominate Martin McGuinness as its candidate in the 2011 Irish presidential election, it was announced on 16 September 2011 that O'Dowd would be fulfil the duties of deputy First Minister on a temporary basis.
On 31 October 2011, McGuinness resumed his duties as deputy First Minister after finishing third in the Irish presidential election.
He began his political career serving for 14 years as a councillor on Craigavon Council and previously served as a school governor. O'Dowd has served as Chair of Upper Bann Sinn Féin and a member of the party's Six County Executive, O'Dowd was leader of the Sinn Féin group on Craigavon Council.
[2nd Northern Ireland Assembly. 3rd Northern Ireland Assembly. 4th Northern Ireland Assembly]
He has been the Minister for Education in the Stormont Executive since 2011 and the Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Upper Bann since 2003.
Between 2007 and 2011 he was Sinn Féin group leader in the Assembly and served as Chair of the Public Accounts Committee before becoming a member of the Education Committee in 2008.