Flor O'Mahony
Encyclopedia
Florence "Flor" O'Mahony (born 23 January 1946) is a former Labour Party
politician in Ireland
. He was a senator
in the 1980s, and was briefly a Member of the European Parliament
(MEP).
He later came to prominence as a lobbyist and publicist for the tobacco industry.
and Minister for Health
, Labour Party leader Brendan Corish. When Labour returned to opposition after 1977 general election
he continued as an advisor to Corish's successor, Frank Cluskey
.
O'Mahony had himself stood unsuccessfully as a Labour candidate at the 1969
and 1973 general election
in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown constituency. He stood in Dublin North Central at the November 1982 and 1987 general election
s, and in Dún Laoghaire
at the 1989 general election
, but never won a seat in Dáil Éireann
.
However, in 1981 he was elected on the Administrative Panel to the 15th Seanad, and was re-elected twice, serving until the dissolution of the 17th Seanad in 1987. In March 1983 he was appointed as a Member of the European Parliament
, filling the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Horgan
. However, he did not contest the 1984 European election
, in which Labour lost as the for seats in the European Parliament which it had won in the 1979 election
.
in Dublin.
O'Mahony, later became known as the "public face" of the Irish Tobacco Manufacturers Advisory Committee (ITMAC), of which he was director and which shared an office in Dublin with O'Mahony's company CIPA, and in 1992 O'Mahony's name was recorded as the donor of IR3,000 donated to the Progressive Democrats
on behalf of ITMAC. As a lobbyist in the against plans for legislation to protect workers against passive smoking, O'Mahony was named in 1999 as having been involved in lobbying by ITMAC which Dr Fenton Howell, vice-president of the Irish Medical Organisation, claimed "secretly manipulated and misled a group advising the minister for health on new smoking regulations". O'Mahony subsequently told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children that he could not remember who gave him information about a meeting of a Department of Health working group which had allowed him to circulate a report of the meeting to tobacco companies within 24 hours of the meeting. After hearing O'Mahony's evidence, the chairman (deputy Batt O'Keeffe
told Mahony that some of the points made about his conduct were "well-founded", and recommended that "in future deliberations he would be conscious of the public interest and people's health". In 2001, Howell told a sub-committee that O'Mahony had been "less than candid in his replies" to the committee.
O'Mahony was one of three former senior officials of the Irish Labour Party reported to have had ties with the tobacco industry.
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...
politician in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. He was a senator
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...
in the 1980s, and was briefly a Member of the European Parliament
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,...
(MEP).
He later came to prominence as a lobbyist and publicist for the tobacco industry.
Political career
From 1973 to 1977, O'Mahony was a policy advisor to the TánaisteTánaiste
The Tánaiste is the deputy prime minister of Ireland. The current Tánaiste is Eamon Gilmore, TD who was appointed on 9 March 2011.- Origins and etymology :...
and Minister for Health
Minister for Health and Children (Ireland)
The Minister for Health is the senior minister at the Department of Health in the Government of Ireland and is responsible for health care in the Republic of Ireland and related services.The current Minister for Health is James Reilly, TD...
, Labour Party leader Brendan Corish. When Labour returned to opposition after 1977 general election
Irish 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...
he continued as an advisor to Corish's successor, Frank Cluskey
Frank Cluskey
Frank Cluskey was an Irish politician and a former leader of the Irish Labour Party.Frank Cluskey was born on 1 April 1930 in Dublin. He worked as a butcher and then joined the Labour Party. He quickly became a branch secretary in the Workers' Union of Ireland. In the 1965 general election he was...
.
O'Mahony had himself stood unsuccessfully as a Labour candidate at the 1969
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...
and 1973 general election
Irish general election, 1973
The Irish general election of 1973 was held on 28 February 1973. The newly elected 144 members of the 20th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 4 March when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown constituency. He stood in Dublin North Central at the November 1982 and 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...
s, and in Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dún Laoghaire is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
at the 1989 general election
Irish 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...
, but never won a seat in 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...
.
However, in 1981 he was elected on the Administrative Panel to the 15th Seanad, and was re-elected twice, serving until the dissolution of the 17th Seanad in 1987. In March 1983 he was appointed as a Member of the European Parliament
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,...
, filling the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Horgan
John Horgan (academic)
John S. Horgan is the Press Ombudsman in the Republic of Ireland. An author and former Labour Party politician who served from 1969 to 1981 as a senator and then as a Teachta Dála , he was Professor of Journalism at Dublin City University before taking up the ombudsman post in 2007.- Political...
. However, he did not contest the 1984 European election
European Parliament election, 1984 (Ireland)
The 1984 European Parliament election in Ireland was the Irish component of the 1984 European Parliament election. The election was conducted under the single transferable vote.-Results:-Voting details:-See also:...
, in which Labour lost as the for seats in the European Parliament which it had won in the 1979 election
European Parliament election, 1979 (Ireland)
The 1979 European Parliament election in Ireland was the Irish component of the 1979 European Parliament election. These were the first direct elections to the European Parliament...
.
Lobbyist
After leaving politics, O'Mahony became a public affairs consultant in 1989. He is also an Associate Lecturer in European Studies at the Institute of Public AdministrationInstitute of Public Administration
Institute of Public Administration may refer to:*European Institute of Public Administration*Indian Institute of Public Administration*Institute of Public Administration *HCM Rajasthan State Institute of Public Administration...
in Dublin.
O'Mahony, later became known as the "public face" of the Irish Tobacco Manufacturers Advisory Committee (ITMAC), of which he was director and which shared an office in Dublin with O'Mahony's company CIPA, and in 1992 O'Mahony's name was recorded as the donor of IR3,000 donated to 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...
on behalf of ITMAC. As a lobbyist in the against plans for legislation to protect workers against passive smoking, O'Mahony was named in 1999 as having been involved in lobbying by ITMAC which Dr Fenton Howell, vice-president of the Irish Medical Organisation, claimed "secretly manipulated and misled a group advising the minister for health on new smoking regulations". O'Mahony subsequently told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children that he could not remember who gave him information about a meeting of a Department of Health working group which had allowed him to circulate a report of the meeting to tobacco companies within 24 hours of the meeting. After hearing O'Mahony's evidence, the chairman (deputy Batt O'Keeffe
Batt O'Keeffe
Bartholomew "Batt" O'Keeffe is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Teachta Dála and Senator from 1989 to 2011. He also served as Minister for Education and Science and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation .-Early and personal life:O'Keeffe was born in Cullen, County...
told Mahony that some of the points made about his conduct were "well-founded", and recommended that "in future deliberations he would be conscious of the public interest and people's health". In 2001, Howell told a sub-committee that O'Mahony had been "less than candid in his replies" to the committee.
O'Mahony was one of three former senior officials of the Irish Labour Party reported to have had ties with the tobacco industry.
External links
- Flor O'Mahony profile on the Finsbury International Policy & Regulatory Advisers website