Pádraig Rice (born 1990) is an Irish Social Democrats politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork South-Central constituency since the 2024 general election.^[1] Beginning adult life as an LGBTQ political activist, Rice became a member of Cork City Council when he was elected in the 2024 local elections for the Cork City South Central area, becoming the first Social Democrat to sit on the council.^[2][3]

Rice was born in 1990 in Cork and raised in Camp, County Kerry.^[4] Rice moved to Cork in 2008 to study at University College Cork (UCC), where he became involved in the LGBTQI+ community.^[5]

As an undergraduate at UCC, Rice served as the Rainbow Week Officer and later as Chairperson of the UCC LGBT Society. Under his leadership, the Society won multiple awards, including Best Society in UCC and National Student Society of the Year 2011/12. Rice was also the Welfare Officer for UCC Students' Union and was involved in the Students for Marriage Equality Campaign leading up to the 2015 marriage equality referendum. Rice authored an opinion piece in The Irish Times supporting marriage equality ahead of the vote.^[5]

After completing a master's degree in Public Policy at the University of Oxford, Rice returned to Cork, where he coordinated the Gay Project from 2018 to 2020. During his tenure, he helped establish several new LGBTQI+ community groups and support services, including Cork Frontrunners, the Gold Over 55s group, and the OUTLit Bookclub. In 2020, the Gay Project was shortlisted for LGBT Community Organisation of the Year at the GALA Awards. Rice was also involved in the movement to repeal the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution (which outlawed abortion) as Secretary of Cork Together for Yes and organised LGBT+ for Yes events. Additionally, Rice served as a committee member of Cork Pride, a member of the Gay Health Network, and as a board member of LGBT Ireland.^[5]

In March 2023, Rice represented the LGBT Ireland organisation spoke to the Oireachtas as part of the Coalition Against Hate Crime (an umbrella organisation for 22 civil society organisations). Rice highlighted a rise in homophobic violence in Ireland, citing several incidents, including the 2021 knife assault on a trans woman, the murders of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee, and other assaults. Rice emphasized the growing insecurity within the LGBTQ+ community, despite Ireland's progressive stance on LGBTQ+ rights. He called for stronger hate crime legislation and better Garda Síochána relations with the LGBTQ+ community to address these escalating threats.^[6]

At the 2024 general election, Rice was elected to the Dáil.^[7]

Rice is an advocate of secularism. In August 2024 Rice called for the removal of prayers and religious iconography, including a crucifix, from Cork City Council meetings. He expressed his surprise that such practices were still part of council proceedings, arguing that Ireland is a democracy, not a theocracy. He emphasised the importance of a clear separation between church and state and noted that council meetings should be inclusive "of people from all faiths and none". Rice pointed out that as the Catholic Church's special position was removed from the Constitution in 1972, the continued presence of religious symbols in the council chamber felt outdated. He proposed that the crucifix could be stored or given to a religious order if his motion for secularism was successful. Rice believes that as more people identify as non-religious, society should acknowledge this shift.^[8]

Rice has a law degree from University College Cork and a master's in Public Policy from Oxford University. Rice has a background in policy, research, and community work. He has also worked with Trócaire in Uganda and as a parliamentary assistant in both the Dáil and the Seanad.^[3] He lives in Ballyphehane with his husband and campaign manager, Aaron O'Sullivan.^[4]