Minister McConalogue was appointed as Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine on 2 September 2020.
From farming background in Gleneely, Co Donegal, he was educated at Carndonagh Community School before attending UCD where he studied Economics, Politics & History. It was during his undergraduate studies at UCD that he first became involved in politics.
After working in Fianna Fáil Headquarters for a number of years, as well as working abroad in Australia, Minister McConalogue returned home to work on the family farm before being elected as a Donegal County Councillor in 2009. In 2011, he was elected TD for Donegal Northeast.
Minister McConalogue was appointed previously as Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality with responsibility for Law Reform and prior to that, he held the positions of Fianna Fáil spokesperson for Children, Education and Skills, and Agriculture, Food and the Marine.