Mary Flaherty (politician)
Encyclopedia
Mary Flaherty is a former Irish
Fine Gael
Party politician. She was a Teachta Dála
(TD) for 16 years, and served briefly as a junior minister in her first year in Dáil Éireann
.
Flaherty was elected to the Dáil on her first attempt, at the 1981 general election
, as a Fine Gael
candidate in the Dublin North West
constituency. She took her seat in the 22nd Dáil.
That election saw Fine Gael returned to power in a coalition government with the Labour Party, and on her first day in the Dáil Taoiseach
Garret FitzGerald
appointed Flaherty as Minister of State
at the Department of Social Welfare. This was a junior post under Minister Eileen Desmond
, but since Desmond's health was poor, Flaherty often found herself in the firing line.
The government collapsed on 27 January 1982, when it lost a vote on the budget, and Flaherty left office when the new Fianna Fáil
government was installed after the February 1982 general election. She later described her rapid promotion as having caused a lot of bad feeling among amongst older TDs who resented the rise of a 28-year-old woman.
Flaherty had been re-elected to the 23rd Dáil, and retained her seat through a further four general elections before losing it at the 1997 general election
to Fianna Fáil's Pat Carey
.
Married to former Fine Gael Senator and TD Alexis FitzGerald, she was a secondary school teacher before entering politics. After leaving the Dáil, she took up a part time job with The CARI Foundation, which supports abused children.
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,...
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...
Party politician. She was a 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 16 years, and served briefly as a junior minister in her first year 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...
.
Flaherty was elected to the Dáil on her first attempt, 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....
, as 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...
candidate in the Dublin North West
Dublin North West (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin North–West is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies...
constituency. She took her seat in the 22nd Dáil.
That election saw Fine Gael returned to power in a coalition government with the Labour Party, and on her first day in the Dáil 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...
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...
appointed Flaherty as Minister of State
Minister of State (Ireland)
A Minister of State in Ireland is of non-Cabinet rank, attached to one or more Departments of State of the Government of Ireland....
at the Department of Social Welfare. This was a junior post under Minister Eileen Desmond
Eileen Desmond
Eileen Desmond, née Harrington was a senior Irish Labour Party politician. She served in the Dáil and the Seanad and the European Parliament, and was Minister for Health & Social Welfare from 1981 to 1982....
, but since Desmond's health was poor, Flaherty often found herself in the firing line.
The government collapsed on 27 January 1982, when it lost a vote on the budget, and Flaherty left office when the new 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...
government was installed after the February 1982 general election. She later described her rapid promotion as having caused a lot of bad feeling among amongst older TDs who resented the rise of a 28-year-old woman.
Flaherty had been re-elected to the 23rd Dáil, and retained her seat through a further four general elections before losing it at 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....
to Fianna Fáil's Pat Carey
Pat Carey
Pat Carey is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North West constituency from 1997 to 2011. He served as the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs from 2010–11, and also as Government Chief Whip from 2008–10.-Early and private life:Carey...
.
Married to former Fine Gael Senator and TD Alexis FitzGerald, she was a secondary school teacher before entering politics. After leaving the Dáil, she took up a part time job with The CARI Foundation, which supports abused children.
External links
- Mary Flaherty's electoral history (ElectionsIreland.org)
- Flaherty feels no longing for political return after battling six elections (Irish Examiner, 9 May 2002)