Ó Broin was elected to Belfast City Council in 2001,[7] stepping down in 2004. He was the National Organiser of Ógra Shinn Féin between 1995 and 1997. He was Sinn Féin's Director of European Affairs co-ordinating his party's team in the European Parliament in Brussels, from 2004 to 2007. He is a former member of Sinn Féin's governing body[8] and a regular columnist with the republican newspaper An Phoblacht.[9]
He is also a published writer. His first book, Matxinada - Basque Nationalism and Radical Basque Youth Movements was published in English in 2004 and in Spanish in 2005. His second book, Sinn Féin and the Politics of Left Republicanism was published by Pluto Press in 2009 and the launch was held in Pearse Street Public Library on 16 February 2009.[10] Ó Broin is also the editor of Left Republican Review. As a freelance writer he has articles published in An Phoblacht, Magill, Village Magazine and The Irish Times.[11]
As of 2021[update], Ó Broin is Sinn Féin's spokesperson on housing.[19][20] In May 2019, he published a book entitled Home: Why Public Housing is the Answer which specifically addressed the issue of housing in Ireland. Home was generally well received by critics in Ireland, and became a surprise bestseller.[21][22][23] Housing proved one of the key issues in the 2020 Irish general election and factored into Sinn Féin's significant gains in the voting.[20][24]
Personal life
Ó Broin is the partner of Lynn Boylan, a Sinn Féin MEP for Dublin.[25]
^ abCarswell, Simon (26 January 2020). "Why are Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil refusing to go into coalition with Sinn Féin?". IrishTimes.ie. Irish Times. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020. The party's housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin is another of the Dáil's best performers with a comprehensive understanding of his brief, another key area of focus for voters in this election.
^Rea, Ailbhe (5 February 2020). "The surge of Sinn Féin". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020. Ó Broin – along with the party leader Mary Lou McDonald; Pearse Doherty, the Sinn Féin finance spokesperson; and Louise O'Reilly, its spokesperson on health – has been a crucial player in the party's recent gains.