Robert "Bobby" Molloy is an Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 former Fianna Fáil

Fianna Fáil

Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...

 and Progressive Democrats

Progressive Democrats

The Progressive Democrats , commonly known as the PDs, was a pro-free market liberal political party in the Republic of Ireland.Launched on 21 December 1985 by Desmond O'Malley and other politicians who had split from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the Progressive Democrats took liberal positions on...

 politician, who served in a wide number of Cabinet poistions, most notably as Minister for Local Government, Minister for Defence

Minister for Defence (Ireland)

The Minister for Defence is the senior minister at the Department of Defence in the Government of Ireland. Under new arrangements this department is being merged with the Department of Justice over which Mr. Shatter will also preside....

 and Minister for Energy.

Molloy was born in Galway

Galway

Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...

 and educated at Coláiste Iognáid and University College Galway. Molloy was first elected to Dáil Éireann

Dáil Éireann

Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...

 in the 1965 General Election

Irish general election, 1965

The Irish general election of 1965 was held on 7 April 1965. The newly elected members of the 18th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 21 April when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed....

 for the Galway West constituency. In 1968 he was also elected Mayor of Galway

Mayor of Galway

The office of Mayor of Galway is an honorific title used by the of Galway City Council. The Council has jurisdiction throughout its administrative area which is the city of Galway – the largest city in the province of Connacht, in the Republic of Ireland. The office was originally established by a...

. The following year he was appointed to the Cabinet as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education. From 1970 to 1973 he served as Minister for Local Government. When Fianna Fáil returned to power in 1977 he became Minister for Defence in the final government of Jack Lynch

Jack Lynch

John Mary "Jack" Lynch was the Taoiseach of Ireland, serving two terms in office; from 1966 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979....

.

In 1979 Molloy supported George Colley

George Colley

George Colley was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician, who served in a wide number of Cabinet poistions, most notably as Minister for Finance and Tánaiste. He was twice defeated for the leadership of Fianna Fáil in 1966 and 1979.-Early life:Colley was born in Fairview, on the northside of Dublin...

 in the Fianna Fáil leadership contest. However Charles Haughey

Charles Haughey

Charles James "Charlie" Haughey was Taoiseach of Ireland, serving three terms in office . He was also the fourth leader of Fianna Fáil...

 was the eventual victor. After this Molloy was dropped from the Cabinet, becoming a member of the Gang of 22

Gang of 22

The "Gang of 22" was a group of Fianna Fáil Teachtaí Dála who were opposed to the leadership of Charles Haughey in the early 1980s...

 who opposed Haughey's leadership of the party. In 1986 Molloy resigned from Fianna Fáil and joined the newly formed Progressive Democrats. In 1989 the party entered into coalition with Fianna Fáil, with Molloy becoming Minister for Energy. That same year he contested the European Elections but was unsuccessful in his attempt. He stood for election again in 1994 but was again unsuccessful. Following the 1997 General Election

Irish general election, 1997

The Irish general election of 1997 was held on Friday, 6 June 1997. The 166 newly elected members of the 28th Dáil assembled on 26 June 1997 when a new Taoiseach and government were appointed....

 Molloy helped in the negotiations for forming the coalition government between the PDs and Fianna Fáil. On that occasion he became Minister of State at the Department of the Environment.

Molloy retired from politics just before the 2002 General Election

Irish general election, 2002

The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday, 17 May 2002 just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern...

 amid controversy regarding constituency letters intervening in the rape

Rape

Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...

 case of Barbara Naughton

Barbara Naughton

Barbara Naughton is an Irish author and rape victim.Naughton, a native of Kinvarra, Camus, Connemara, became a central figure in a political and legal incident in Ireland in 2002. Bobby Molloy, TD for Galway West for the previous 37 years, made an intervention in the case of the serial rape of...

http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0417/naughtonb.html.