Close Offaly family connection to new British PM Keir Starmer

A political advisor with close Offaly family connections played a key role in the British Labour party's victory in the general election.

Cork native, Morgan McSweeeny is the Labour party's leader Keir Starmer's most trusted advisor in his role as campaign manager of the Labour party.

Former Offaly Express journalist, Declan McSweeney, from Tullamore, is closely related to Morgan.

Declan is a first cousin of Morgan's father.

The Offaly man's late father, Denis, a former CEO of Offaly Vocational Education Committee, was a brother of Morgan's grandfather, Michael.

Profiling the Cork man, The London Times said: "Nobody without elected office wields as much power in British politics as McSweeney."

Morgan McSweeney's family were involved in politics in his native Cork, though of the "blue" rather than the "red" variety.

He had an aunt who was a county councillor with Fine Gael while a first cousin of his, Clare Mungovan, was a special advisor to Leo Varadkar when he was Taoiseach.