Thomas Gildea (born September 1939) is an Irish former politician who was elected as an independent Teachta Dála (TD) at the 1997 general election.
[1] A farmer representing Donegal South-West, he won popular local support for his ultimately successful campaign to legalise 'deflectors' which re-transmitted British television channels in rural areas, but which had been shut down in the wake of legal action by cable and MMDS operators.
[2][3] He supported the Fianna Fáil–Progressive Democrats minority coalition government from 1997 to 2002.
[4] Gildea himself operated a deflector system in Donegal.
[5] He was later Chairman of the National Community Television Association.