Inside Heather Humphrey’s private 30-year marriage to Monaghan farmer Eric
Heather Humphrey is one of the two remaining Presidential candidates seeking the Irish people’s vote to become the next resident of Áras an Uachtaráin. The former politician has worked in various government roles for over a decade and now she wants to try her hand at a new role. While she’s been in the public eye for many years, not much is known about her husband Eric Humphreys. The couple has been married for 30 years after tying the knot in 1996. Heather spent many years travelling between Dublin for work and their family home in Monaghan - which is where Eric works on their farm, which is located in the rural countryside of Aghabog. Eric revealed that if his wife does get elected as the 10th President of Ireland, he would remain living on their family farm, but he would make sure he was by Heather’s side when he’s needed. “The reality of farming is that when a cow needs calving - even if the Christmas dinner is on the table - the calf has to come first. That’s the reality of life as a farmer,” he told the Sunday Independent. “I won’t be found wanting. When Heather needs me, I’ll be there. I have been for the last 40 years. She was reared on a farm. No one understands it better than Heather.” However, during her interview with Katie Hannon on RTE recently, Heather stated that he will move into Áras an Uachtaráin in the Phoenix Park, but “he will want to go about his business”. She did admit that her other family members, such as her children, won't be involved in her presidential life. The married couple share two adult children together - daughters Tara and Eve. During her campaign, Heather has said: “Myself and my husband, we are farming - well he does the farming, I do the talking - and we have family. I would like to see the farm move onto the next generation.” She also previously revealed that her daughter Tara was involved in a very serious car accident that almost killed her. This took place around the time she became a minister. “My daughter Tara had a very, very bad accident on the March 31, which was Mother’s Day,” she told the Irish Independent in 2015. “She was in a serious car crash, we nearly lost her. She was nine days in a coma and I suppose, at the end of the day, you have to think what’s important here and when you can get through that, you can get through most things.” Heather is also a grandmother to two children, with her previously showing her grandson Arthur around Leinster House and the Taoiseach’s office.
