Prionsias de Rossa (born 1940), Irish MEP & former leader of the Workers Party.

Prionsias de Rossa was born on 15 May, 1940 in Dublin, Ireland. He was educated at Marlborough Street National School and Kevin Street College of Technology in Dublin. de Rossa was interned in the Curragh from 1956 until 1959. He worked in his family's fruit and vegetable shop before he entered politics. de Rossa was first elected to Dáil Éireann in February 1982. In 1988 he succeeded Tomás MacGiolla as leader of the Workers Party. The following year (1988) de Rossa was elected to the European Parliament. In 1992 he and six other Workers Party TDs founded a new political party which later became known as Democratic Left. From 1994 to 1997 he served as Minister for Social Welfare in the Rainbow Coalition. In January 1999 Democratic Left merged with the Labour Party and de Rossa became the president of the party. In 1999 he was elected MEP for Dublin again.