Liam Skelly is an Irish

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,...

 barrister, businessman and former politician from Dublin. He was Teachta Dála

Teachta Dála

A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...

 (TD) for Dublin West from 1982 to 1987.

Dublin West by-election

Richard Burke, the 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...

 TD for Dublin West, resigned his seat on 30 March 1982 to take up an appointment as Ireland's European Commissioner

European Commissioner

A European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each Member within the college holds a specific portfolio and are led by the President of the European Commission...

. Burke's appointment by the Taoiseach 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 seen as a political "stroke". The appointment was in the gift of 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...

, and all previous appointments had been from the governing party, but Haughey's government did not have a majority 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...

, and could ill-afford to risk losing a seat in the by-election

By-election

A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....

 which would result from appointing a 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...

 TD. Burke had been a Commissioner from 1977 to 1981, and had returned to the Dáil at the 1981 general election

Irish general election, 1981

The Irish general election of 1981 was held on 11 June 1981, three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 21 May. The newly elected 166 members of the 22nd Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 30 June when a new Taoiseach and government were appointed....

. However, his conservative approach was out of step with the liberal ethos of Fine Gael leader Garret FitzGerald

Garret FitzGerald

Garret FitzGerald was an Irish politician who was twice Taoiseach of Ireland, serving in office from July 1981 to February 1982 and again from December 1982 to March 1987. FitzGerald was elected to Seanad Éireann in 1965 and was subsequently elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fine Gael TD in 1969. He...

, who did not offer Burke a cabinet job, and Haughey's offer of a return to the commission was the only promotion in sight. The Dublin West seat was seen as winnable for Fianna Fáil, and Haughey's appointment of Burke raised the prospect of Fianna Fáil gaining a seat rather than losing one.

In selecting a candidate, Fine Gael cast its net outside its own ranks, and chose Skelly, a businessman who had not previously even been a member of a political party. After a closely fought campaign, Skelly won the Dublin West by-election on 25 May 1982. He polled slightly fewer first-preference votes than Fianna Fáil's Eileen Lemass

Eileen Lemass

Eileen Lemass is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician.Eileen Delaney was born in Dublin in 1932. She was educated at St. Kevin's School, the National College of Art, Grafton Academy of Dress Designing and the Abbey Theatre School of Acting. She first became involved in politics in 1974 when she...

 (who had been TD for Dublin West until her defeat at the February 1982 general election), but Skelly won the poll with transfers from other candidates as they were eliminated.

In the Dáil

Skelly held the seat at the November 1982 general election, but found himself increasingly out of step with the direction taken by the government, and eventually resigned the Fine Gael whip

Whip (politics)

A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...

. He sat as an independent for the rest of the 24th Dáil, but when he stood as an independent 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...

he won only 3.35% of the first-preference votes and lost his seat.