Desmond O'Malley
Encyclopedia
Desmond Joseph "Des" O'Malley (born 2 February 1939) is a former Irish
politician.
Born in Limerick, O'Malley was raised in a local political dynasty that had a strong association with Fianna Fáil
. Elected to Dáil Éireann
in 1968, he quickly became a trusted confidante of Taoiseach
Jack Lynch
. After briefly serving as Lynch's Parliamentary Secretary
, he was appointed to the highly sensitive position of Minister for Justice in the wake of the Arms Crisis
in 1970. His three-year tenure was dominated by attempts to limit the rise of the Provisional IRA, a task which made him a target for assassination. When Fianna Fáil returned to power in 1977 O'Malley was appointed Minister for Industry and Commerce at a time when Ireland's economic fortunes were going into rapid decline.
When Lynch retired as Taoiseach in 1979 Charles Haughey
was elected as his successor. O'Malley, like many other members of the cabinet, were deeply distrusting of the new Taoiseach, however, he was retained in his Industry and Commerce potfolio and was reappointed to a similar but expanded position in the short-lived 1982 government. A large number of TDs quickly grew disillusioned with Haughey's leadership and threw their support behind O'Malley in an effort to oust the incumbent leader. A number of leadership heaves were initiated by the Gang of 22
throughout 1982 and 1983, however, Haughey faced down the challengers and isolated his opponents within the party. O'Malley was expelled from the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party in 1984 after clashing with the party over its policy on Northern Ireland
and was eventually expelled from the party the following year after abstaining on a vote regarding the liberalisation of the sale of contraceptives.
While many thought that this would be the end of O'Malley's political career, by the end of the year he had established the Progressive Democrats
. The new party became the third largest in the Dáil after the 1987 general election
and, two years later, entered into coalition government with Fianna Fáil and supported Charles Haughey for Taoiseach. O'Malley returned to the cabinet to his old position as Minister for Industry and Commerce. Albert Reynolds
succession of Haughey as Taoiseach created tensions in the coalition and O'Malley's party eventually withdrew from government when Reynolds accused O'Malley of being "dishonest" in his evidence at the Beef Tribunal.
O'Malley stepped down as leader of the Progressive Democrats in 1993. He failed to be elected to the European Parliament
in 1994 and effectively retired to the backbenches. He retired from politics at the 2002 general election
.
by the Black and Tans, two of his uncles and his father held the office of Mayor of Limerick, and his uncle Donogh O'Malley was a Minister for Education
.
O'Malley was educated at the Jesuit Crescent College
and at University College Dublin
, from which he graduated with a degree in law in 1962. In 1968, after Donogh O'Malley died suddenly, Desmond O'Malley was elected to Dáil Éireann
for Fianna Fáil in the consequent by-election in the Limerick East constituency. At the time it was believed that this by-election victory was partly due to Neil Blaney
and his "Donegal Mafia". Neil Blaney would subsequently regret aiding O'Malley in his election.
Following the 1969 general election
O'Malley was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Taoiseach
, Jack Lynch
, and also Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Jim Gibbons
. O'Malley had a central role in the prosecutions that arose from the Arms Crisis
of 1970. The case against the accused government ministers Charles Haughey
and Neil Blaney was dismissed in the Supreme Court, and both ministers were acquitted.
In 1970 O'Malley succeeded Micheál Ó Móráin
as Minister for Justice. His plans to introduce internment without trial for Provisional IRA suspects in the Republic were not implemented, but he was the subject of an assassination threat, was forced to carry a loaded pistol and was frequently moved from house to house.
Fianna Fáil received a 23-seat majority in Dáil Éireann and O'Malley became Minister for Industry and Commerce
. In 1979, following Jack Lynch's resignation as Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil, two candidates fought in the leadership election, George Colley and Charles Haughey. O'Malley and Martin O'Donoghue managed Colley's campaign, but Haughey won. Colley and O'Malley retained their positions in the government, but O'Donoghue's department was scrapped.
arrangements with the SFWP
and two independents. O'Malley was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism.
On 1 October 1982, another challenge to Haughey was initiated by the Kildare TD, Charlie McCreevy
. O'Malley was on holiday in Spain at the time but rushed back to put his own name forward as a possible alternative to Haughey. He and his supporters resigned from the Cabinet. Haughey won an open vote by 58 votes to 22, with the result that those TDs who voted against Haughey, including O'Malley, became known as the Gang of 22
.
In 1983 a Fine Gael
–Labour Party
coalition government took office and its Minister for Justice, Michael Noonan
, revealed that Haughey's government had been involved in the tapping of certain journalists' telephones. This set off another leadership struggle, with O'Malley, Gerry Collins, Michael O'Kennedy
, Brian Lenihan and John P. Wilson
all showing an interest in replacing Haughey. However, an official inquiry into the telephone tapping cleared Haughey of any wrongdoing and put more blame on Martin O'Donoghue than the other TDs involved. Haughey retained the leadership by 40 votes to 33.
George Colley died in 1983 and Martin O'Donoghue was no longer a TD. O'Malley became isolated within Fianna Fáil, with many of his supporters giving up hope of ever beating Haughey.
Report was published. Haughey had been a key figure in the Forum and had agreed to several possible solutions for solving the problem of Northern Ireland
. However he responded to the publication by declaring that the only possible solution was a united Ireland
. O'Malley strongly criticised this position and accused Haughey of stifling debate. At a meeting of the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party to discuss the report the whip was removed from O'Malley and he became an Independent TD.
In early 1985 a bill was introduced by the Fine Gael–Labour Party government to liberalise the sale of contraceptives. Fianna Fáil opposed the bill, but O'Malley considered it a matter of conscience and wanted to support it. When it came to a vote he abstained. On 26 February 1985 he was summoned to a party meeting and charged with "conduct unbecoming". Following a roll-call vote he was expelled from Fianna Fáil by 73 votes to 9.
, who encouraged O'Malley to found a new political party and offered any help he could give. On 21 December 1985, O'Malley announced the formation of the Progressive Democrats
. He was joined by Mary Harney
(like O'Malley, an Independent TD expelled from Fianna Fáil), and later by Fianna Fáil TDs Bobby Molloy
and Pearse Wyse
and Fine Gael TD Michael Keating
. In the 1987 general election
, the Progressive Democrats won 14 seats, making the new party the third biggest in the Dáil. Among the TDs elected were O'Malley and his cousin Patrick O'Malley
; Anne Colley
, daughter of George Colley
, Martin Gibbons
, son of the former Fianna Fáil Minister; and Martin Cullen
. Fianna Fáil returned to power with Haughey as head of a minority government.
in the hope of winning an overall majority, but Fianna Fáil actually lost seats. The Progressive Democrats also lost seats, but held the balance of power. Haughey failed to be elected Taoiseach, as the Progressive Democrats voted for Fine Gael's leader Alan Dukes
, but after Haughey formally resigned he entered into negotiations with the Progressive Democrats about forming a coalition. On 5 July 1989 Haughey and O'Malley agreed a deal for government, and O'Malley was appointed Minister for Industry and Commerce.
In 1990 Fianna Fáil's nominee in the presidential election
was Brian Lenihan. A few weeks before the election a scandal broke over the accusation that Lenihan had phoned President Hillery
in 1982, asking him not to dissolve the Dáil following the fall of Garret FitzGerald's government. Lenihan had always denied this, but now new evidence had come to light. O'Malley told Haughey that the Progressive Democrats would pull out of the coalition and support a no-confidence motion tabled by the opposition unless Lenihan left the government or Haughey opened an investigation into the incident. Haughey sacked Lenihan.
In early 1992 the programme for government was up for renewal. When it was revealed by Seán Doherty that Haughey had authorised the tapping of two journalists' telephones in 1982, O'Malley decided that the Progressive Democrats could no longer remain in his government. Haughey resigned on 11 February 1992 and was replaced as party leader and Taoiseach by Albert Reynolds
. O'Malley and the Progressive Democrats continued in the coalition until Reynolds accused O'Malley of being "dishonest" while giving evidence to the Beef Tribunal. The collapse of the coalition led to the general election
. Fianna Fáil returned to power in coalition with the Labour Party and the Progressive Democrats moved into Opposition.
, a sitting MEP
who left the Progressive Democrats to run as an independent when O'Malley was selected as the candidate to replace him. O'Malley remained as a TD until his retirement from politics at the 2002 general election
, when he was succeeded as TD by his cousin Tim O'Malley
. His daughter, Fiona O'Malley
, was elected to the Dáil as a Progressive Democrats TD. His son, Eoin O'Malley, is a political scientist in Dublin City University
.
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...
politician.
Born in Limerick, O'Malley was raised in a local political dynasty that had a strong association with 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...
. 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 1968, he quickly became a trusted confidante of Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
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....
. After briefly serving as Lynch's Parliamentary Secretary
Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach
The Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, officially styled as the Minister of State at the Departments of the Taoiseach and Defence with special responsibility as Government Chief Whip, is the Chief Whip of the Government of Ireland and is the most senior Minister of State...
, he was appointed to the highly sensitive position of Minister for Justice in the wake of the Arms Crisis
Arms Crisis
The Arms Crisis or Arms Trial was a political scandal in the Republic of Ireland in 1970, when two cabinet ministers — Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney — were sacked for allegedly attempting to illegally import arms for the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland.-Background:The...
in 1970. His three-year tenure was dominated by attempts to limit the rise of the Provisional IRA, a task which made him a target for assassination. When Fianna Fáil returned to power in 1977 O'Malley was appointed Minister for Industry and Commerce at a time when Ireland's economic fortunes were going into rapid decline.
When Lynch retired as Taoiseach in 1979 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 elected as his successor. O'Malley, like many other members of the cabinet, were deeply distrusting of the new Taoiseach, however, he was retained in his Industry and Commerce potfolio and was reappointed to a similar but expanded position in the short-lived 1982 government. A large number of TDs quickly grew disillusioned with Haughey's leadership and threw their support behind O'Malley in an effort to oust the incumbent leader. A number of leadership heaves were initiated by 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...
throughout 1982 and 1983, however, Haughey faced down the challengers and isolated his opponents within the party. O'Malley was expelled from the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party in 1984 after clashing with the party over its policy on Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and was eventually expelled from the party the following year after abstaining on a vote regarding the liberalisation of the sale of contraceptives.
While many thought that this would be the end of O'Malley's political career, by the end of the year he had established the 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...
. The new party became the third largest in the Dáil after the 1987 general election
Irish general election, 1987
The Irish general election of 1987 was held on 17 February 1987, four weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 20 January. The newly-elected 166 members of the 25th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 10 March when a new Taoiseach and government were appointed.The general election took place in...
and, two years later, entered into coalition government with Fianna Fáil and supported Charles Haughey for Taoiseach. O'Malley returned to the cabinet to his old position as Minister for Industry and Commerce. Albert Reynolds
Albert Reynolds
Albert Reynolds , served as Taoiseach of Ireland, serving one term in office from 1992 until 1994. He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize...
succession of Haughey as Taoiseach created tensions in the coalition and O'Malley's party eventually withdrew from government when Reynolds accused O'Malley of being "dishonest" in his evidence at the Beef Tribunal.
O'Malley stepped down as leader of the Progressive Democrats in 1993. He failed to be elected to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
in 1994 and effectively retired to the backbenches. He retired from politics at 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...
.
Early life
O'Malley was born in Limerick City in 1939. His family had long been involved in politics: His grandfather was killed during the War of IndependenceIrish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
by the Black and Tans, two of his uncles and his father held the office of Mayor of Limerick, and his uncle Donogh O'Malley was a Minister for Education
Minister for Education and Science (Ireland)
The Minister for Education and Skills is the senior minister at the Department of Education and Skills in the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Education and Skills is Ruairi Quinn, TD...
.
O'Malley was educated at the Jesuit Crescent College
Crescent College
Crescent College Comprehensive SJ is a secondary school located on a section of 40 acres of parkland at Dooradoyle, Limerick, Ireland. The college is one of a number of Jesuit schools in Ireland.- History :...
and at University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
, from which he graduated with a degree in law in 1962. In 1968, after Donogh O'Malley died suddenly, Desmond O'Malley was 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...
for Fianna Fáil in the consequent by-election in the Limerick East constituency. At the time it was believed that this by-election victory was partly due to Neil Blaney
Neil Blaney
Neil Terence Columba Blaney was a senior Irish politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1948 as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála representing Donegal East. Blaney served as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs , Minister for Local Government and Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries...
and his "Donegal Mafia". Neil Blaney would subsequently regret aiding O'Malley in his election.
Following the 1969 general election
Irish general election, 1969
The Irish general election of 1969 was held on 18 June 1969. The newly elected members of the 19th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 2 July when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed...
O'Malley was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
, 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....
, and also Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Jim Gibbons
Jim Gibbons (Irish politician)
James "Jim" Gibbons was a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was first elected in 1957 as a Teachta Dála for Carlow–Kilkenny. He held his seat until 1982...
. O'Malley had a central role in the prosecutions that arose from the Arms Crisis
Arms Crisis
The Arms Crisis or Arms Trial was a political scandal in the Republic of Ireland in 1970, when two cabinet ministers — Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney — were sacked for allegedly attempting to illegally import arms for the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland.-Background:The...
of 1970. The case against the accused government ministers 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...
and Neil Blaney was dismissed in the Supreme Court, and both ministers were acquitted.
In 1970 O'Malley succeeded Micheál Ó Móráin
Micheál Ó Móráin
Micheál Ó Móráin was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician, who served in a wide number of Cabinet minister from 1957 until 1970, most notably as Minister for Justice and Minister for the Gaeltacht....
as Minister for Justice. His plans to introduce internment without trial for Provisional IRA suspects in the Republic were not implemented, but he was the subject of an assassination threat, was forced to carry a loaded pistol and was frequently moved from house to house.
Fianna Fáil majority
In the 1977 general electionIrish general election, 1977
The Irish general election of 1977 was held on 16 June 1977 and is regarded as a pivotal point in twentieth century Irish politics. The general election took place in 42 parliamentary constituencies throughout Ireland for 148 seats in the lower house of parliament, Dáil Éireann. The number of...
Fianna Fáil received a 23-seat majority in Dáil Éireann and O'Malley became Minister for Industry and Commerce
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ireland)
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is the senior minister at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is Richard Bruton, TD...
. In 1979, following Jack Lynch's resignation as Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil, two candidates fought in the leadership election, George Colley and Charles Haughey. O'Malley and Martin O'Donoghue managed Colley's campaign, but Haughey won. Colley and O'Malley retained their positions in the government, but O'Donoghue's department was scrapped.
Opposition to Haughey
Following the February 1982 general election Fianna Fáil, led by Haughey, failed to win an overall majority in the Dáil. Haughey was seen as the main reason for the election defeat. George Colley threw his support behind O'Malley as a leadership challenger, but no vote on the party leadership was taken. Haughey was elected Taoiseach again after negotiating confidence and supplyConfidence and supply
In a parliamentary democracy confidence and supply are required for a government to hold power. A confidence and supply agreement is an agreement that a minor party or independent member of parliament will support the government in motions of confidence and appropriation votes by voting in favour...
arrangements with the SFWP
Workers' Party of Ireland
The Workers' Party is a left-wing republican political party in Ireland. Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970 after a split within the party, adopting its current name in 1982....
and two independents. O'Malley was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism.
On 1 October 1982, another challenge to Haughey was initiated by the Kildare TD, Charlie McCreevy
Charlie McCreevy
Charles "Charlie" McCreevy is a former Irish politician. He was the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services from 2004–2010. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD in 1977 and held the seat in Kildare until 2004 when he became Ireland's European Commissioner...
. O'Malley was on holiday in Spain at the time but rushed back to put his own name forward as a possible alternative to Haughey. He and his supporters resigned from the Cabinet. Haughey won an open vote by 58 votes to 22, with the result that those TDs who voted against Haughey, including O'Malley, became known as 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...
.
In 1983 a Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
–Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
coalition government took office and its Minister for Justice, Michael Noonan
Michael Noonan
Michael Noonan is an Irish Fine Gael politician and has been the Minister for Finance since March 2011. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Limerick East and later Limerick City constituencies since 1981....
, revealed that Haughey's government had been involved in the tapping of certain journalists' telephones. This set off another leadership struggle, with O'Malley, Gerry Collins, Michael O'Kennedy
Michael O'Kennedy
Michael O'Kennedy is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician, who served in a range of cabinet positions, most notably as Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Finance and Irish European Commissioner.-Early life:...
, Brian Lenihan and John P. Wilson
John P. Wilson
John Patrick Wilson was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was first elected as a Teachta Dála for Cavan in 1973 and served in Dáil Éireann until 1992...
all showing an interest in replacing Haughey. However, an official inquiry into the telephone tapping cleared Haughey of any wrongdoing and put more blame on Martin O'Donoghue than the other TDs involved. Haughey retained the leadership by 40 votes to 33.
George Colley died in 1983 and Martin O'Donoghue was no longer a TD. O'Malley became isolated within Fianna Fáil, with many of his supporters giving up hope of ever beating Haughey.
Expulsion from Fianna Fáil
In May 1984 the New Ireland ForumNew Ireland Forum
The New Ireland Forum was a forum in 1983–84 at which Irish nationalist political parties discussed potential political developments that might alleviate the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The Forum was established by Garret FitzGerald, then Taoiseach, under the influence of John Hume. The Forum was...
Report was published. Haughey had been a key figure in the Forum and had agreed to several possible solutions for solving the problem of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. However he responded to the publication by declaring that the only possible solution was a united Ireland
United Ireland
A united Ireland is the term used to refer to the idea of a sovereign state which covers all of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. The island of Ireland includes the territory of two independent sovereign states: the Republic of Ireland, which covers 26 counties of the island, and the...
. O'Malley strongly criticised this position and accused Haughey of stifling debate. At a meeting of the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party to discuss the report the whip was removed from O'Malley and he became an Independent TD.
In early 1985 a bill was introduced by the Fine Gael–Labour Party government to liberalise the sale of contraceptives. Fianna Fáil opposed the bill, but O'Malley considered it a matter of conscience and wanted to support it. When it came to a vote he abstained. On 26 February 1985 he was summoned to a party meeting and charged with "conduct unbecoming". Following a roll-call vote he was expelled from Fianna Fáil by 73 votes to 9.
The Progressive Democrats
Immediately afterwards, Desmond O'Malley was contacted by a young Fine Gael activist, Michael McDowellMichael McDowell
Michael McDowell is a Senior Counsel in the Bar Council of Ireland and a former politician. A grandson of Irish revolutionary Eoin MacNeill, McDowell was a founding member of the Progressive Democrats political party in the mid-1980s...
, who encouraged O'Malley to found a new political party and offered any help he could give. On 21 December 1985, O'Malley announced the formation of the 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...
. He was joined by Mary Harney
Mary Harney
Mary Harney is a former Irish politician. She served as Tánaiste from 1997–2006, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from 1997–2004, and as Minister for Health and Children from 2004 to 2011...
(like O'Malley, an Independent TD expelled from Fianna Fáil), and later by Fianna Fáil TDs Bobby Molloy
Bobby Molloy
Robert "Bobby" Molloy is an Irish former Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats politician, who served in a wide number of Cabinet poistions, most notably as Minister for Local Government, Minister for Defence and Minister for Energy....
and Pearse Wyse
Pearse Wyse
Pearse Wyse was an Irish Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats politician.Pearse Wyse was born in Cork in 1928. He first held political office in 1960 when he was elected to Cork City Council...
and Fine Gael TD Michael Keating
Michael Keating (Irish politician)
Michael Keating is a former Irish politician.-Early life:Michael Keating was born in Dublin in 1946. He was educated at the Christian Brothers O'Connell School, University College Dublin and St. Patrick's College in Maynooth where he received a Bachelor of Arts...
. In the 1987 general election
Irish general election, 1987
The Irish general election of 1987 was held on 17 February 1987, four weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 20 January. The newly-elected 166 members of the 25th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 10 March when a new Taoiseach and government were appointed.The general election took place in...
, the Progressive Democrats won 14 seats, making the new party the third biggest in the Dáil. Among the TDs elected were O'Malley and his cousin Patrick O'Malley
Patrick O'Malley (Irish politician)
Patrick O'Malley is a former Irish Progressive Democrats politician. He was first elected at the 1987 general election for the Dublin West constituency, along with 13 other Progressive Democrats Teachtaí Dála to the 25th Dáil. He lost his seat at the 1989 general election. He is a cousin of the...
; Anne Colley
Anne Colley
Anne Colley is a former Irish Progressive Democrats politician who represented Dublin South from 1987 to 1989.-Background:Anne Colley was born in Dublin in 1951. She read Law at University College Dublin and qualified as a solicitor...
, daughter of 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...
, Martin Gibbons
Martin Gibbons
Martin Gibbons is an Irish farmer and former Progressive Democrat TD who represented Carlow–Kilkenny in Dáil Éireann from 1987 to 1989....
, son of the former Fianna Fáil Minister; and Martin Cullen
Martin Cullen
Martin Cullen is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Waterford constituency. Cullen was a member of Seanad Éireann and served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government , Minister for Transport and Minister for Social and Family Affairs and...
. Fianna Fáil returned to power with Haughey as head of a minority government.
Coalition with Fianna Fáil
In May 1989 Haughey called an early general electionIrish general election, 1989
The Irish general election of 1989 was held on Thursday, 15 June 1989, three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 25 May. The newly elected 166 members of the 26th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 29 June...
in the hope of winning an overall majority, but Fianna Fáil actually lost seats. The Progressive Democrats also lost seats, but held the balance of power. Haughey failed to be elected Taoiseach, as the Progressive Democrats voted for Fine Gael's leader Alan Dukes
Alan Dukes
Alan Dukes is a former Irish politician who served as leader of the Fine Gael political party and Teachta Dála for Kildare and Kildare South. He holds the distinction of being one of only five TDs to be appointed Minister on their first day in the Dáil. He lost his seat in the 2002 general election...
, but after Haughey formally resigned he entered into negotiations with the Progressive Democrats about forming a coalition. On 5 July 1989 Haughey and O'Malley agreed a deal for government, and O'Malley was appointed Minister for Industry and Commerce.
In 1990 Fianna Fáil's nominee in the presidential election
Irish presidential election, 1990
-Aftermath:While the role of the presidency in day to day politics is a very limited one the Robinson presidency is regarded by many observers as a watershed in Irish society symbolising the shift away from the conservative ultracatholic male-dominated Ireland which existed up until the end of the...
was Brian Lenihan. A few weeks before the election a scandal broke over the accusation that Lenihan had phoned President Hillery
Patrick Hillery
Patrick John "Paddy" Hillery was an Irish politician and the sixth President of Ireland from 1976 until 1990. First elected at the 1951 general election as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for Clare, he remained in Dáil Éireann until 1973...
in 1982, asking him not to dissolve the Dáil following the fall of Garret FitzGerald's government. Lenihan had always denied this, but now new evidence had come to light. O'Malley told Haughey that the Progressive Democrats would pull out of the coalition and support a no-confidence motion tabled by the opposition unless Lenihan left the government or Haughey opened an investigation into the incident. Haughey sacked Lenihan.
In early 1992 the programme for government was up for renewal. When it was revealed by Seán Doherty that Haughey had authorised the tapping of two journalists' telephones in 1982, O'Malley decided that the Progressive Democrats could no longer remain in his government. Haughey resigned on 11 February 1992 and was replaced as party leader and Taoiseach by Albert Reynolds
Albert Reynolds
Albert Reynolds , served as Taoiseach of Ireland, serving one term in office from 1992 until 1994. He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize...
. O'Malley and the Progressive Democrats continued in the coalition until Reynolds accused O'Malley of being "dishonest" while giving evidence to the Beef Tribunal. The collapse of the coalition led to the general election
Irish general election, 1992
The Irish general election of 1992 was held on Wednesday, 25 November 1992, almost three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 5 November. However, after difficulties in forming a government the newly elected 166 members of the 27th Dáil did not assemble at Leinster House until 4 January 1993...
. Fianna Fáil returned to power in coalition with the Labour Party and the Progressive Democrats moved into Opposition.
Retirement
In October 1993 O'Malley retired as leader of the Progressive Democrats. He was succeeded by Mary Harney, one of the co-founders of the party. In 1994 O'Malley ran for the European Parliament but was defeated by Pat CoxPat Cox
Pat Cox is an Irish politician and former television current affairs presenter. He was President of the European Parliament from 2002 to 2004 and served as a member of the European Parliament from 1989–2004....
, a sitting MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
who left the Progressive Democrats to run as an independent when O'Malley was selected as the candidate to replace him. O'Malley remained as a TD until his retirement from politics at 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...
, when he was succeeded as TD by his cousin Tim O'Malley
Tim O'Malley
Tim O'Malley is a former Irish Progressive Democrats politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Limerick East constituency and was Minister of State with special responsibility for Mental Health at the Department of Health and Children....
. His daughter, Fiona O'Malley
Fiona O'Malley
Fiona O'Malley is a former Irish politician. She was a Progressive Democrats Teachta Dála for the Dún Laoghaire constituency from 2002 until 2007, and was a member of Seanad Éireann from 2007 to 2011.-Career:...
, was elected to the Dáil as a Progressive Democrats TD. His son, Eoin O'Malley, is a political scientist in Dublin City University
Dublin City University
Dublin City University is a university situated between Glasnevin, Santry, Ballymun and Whitehall on the Northside of Dublin in Ireland...
.