Rory O'Hanlon
Encyclopedia
Rory O'Hanlon is a former Irish
Fianna Fáil
politician. He was a Teachta Dála
(TD) for the Cavan–Monaghan
constituency from 1977 until 2011, and also served in a range of cabinet positions
and as Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann
.
tradition. His father was a member of the Fourth Northern Division of the Irish Republican Army
during the War of Independence
.
O'Hanlon was educated at Mullaghbawn
National School, before later attending St. Mary's College, Dundalk
and Blackrock College
in Dublin. He subsequently studied medicine at University College Dublin
and qualified as a doctor. In 1965 O'Hanlon he was appointed to Carrickmacross
as the local general practitioner and was the medical representative on the North Eastern Health Board from its inception in 1970 until 1987.
candidate in the 1973 Monaghan by-election caused by the election of Erskine Childers
to the Presidency
. He was unsuccessful on this occasion but was eventually elected at the 1977 general election
for the Cavan–Monaghan
constituency. O'Hanlon was one of a handful of new Fianna Fáil deputies who were elected in that landslide victory for the party and, as a new TD, he remained on the backbenches. Two years later he became a member of Monaghan County Council
, serving on that authority until 1987.
In 1979 Jack Lynch
suddenly resigned as Taoiseach
and leader of Fianna Fáil. The subsequent leadership election
resulted in a straight contest between Charles Haughey
and George Colley
. The latter had the backing of the majority of the existing cabinet, however, a backbench revolt saw Haughey become Taoiseach. O'Hanlon supported Colley and was thus overlooked for appointment to the new ministerial and junior ministerial positions. In spite of this he did become a member of the powerful Public Accounts Committee in the Oireachtas
.
When Fianna Fáil returned to power after a short-lived Fine Gael
-Labour Party
government in 1982, O'Hanlon was once again overlooked for ministerial promotion. An extensive cabinet reshuffle towards the end of the year saw O'Hanlon become Minister of State for Social Welfare Payments
. His tenure was short-lived as the government fell a few weeks later and Fianna Fáil were out of power.
and O'Hanlon was promoted to the position of spokesperson on Health and Social Welfare.
Following the 1987 general election
Fianna Fáil were back in power, albeit with a minority government
, and O'Hanlon became Minister for Health. Immediatley after taking office he was confronted with a number of controversial issues, including the resolution of a radiographers' dispute and the formation of an AIDS
awarness campaign. While Fianna Fáil campaigned on a platform of not introducing any public spending cuts, the party committed a complete u-turn once in government. The savage cuts in relation to healthcare earned O'Hanlon the nickname "Dr. Death". In spite of earning this reputation, O'Hanlon also introduced law to curb smoking in public places.
O'Hanlon's handling of the Department of Health meant that he was one of the names tipped for promotion as a result of Ray MacSharry
departure as Minister for Finance
. In the end he was retained as Minister for Health and was disappointed not to be given a new portfolio following the 1989 general election
.
In 1991 O'Hanlon became Minister for the Environment following Albert Reynolds
' failed leadership challenge against Charles Haughey.
When Reynolds eventually came to power in 1992 O'Hanlon was just one of several high-profile members of the cabinet who lost their ministerial positions.
O'Hanlon became Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann. In this position he was required to remain neutral and, as such, he was no longer classed as a representative of any political party. He was an active chairman of the Dáil; however, on occasion he was criticised, most notably by Labour's Pat Rabbitte
, for allegedly stifling debate and being overly protective of the government. Following the 2007 general election, he was succeeded as Ceann Comhairle by John O'Donoghue
. He is currently the Vice-Chairman of the Joint Oireachtas
Committee on Foreign Affairs.
He retired from politics at the 2011 general election.
Town Council while the Sinn Féin
TD Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
, is also a relation of O'Hanlon. O'Hanlon is also the father of the well-known comedian Ardal O'Hanlon
.
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...
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...
politician. He 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 the Cavan–Monaghan
Cavan–Monaghan (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Cavan–Monaghan is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies...
constituency from 1977 until 2011, and also served in a range of cabinet positions
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
and as Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann
Ceann Comhairle
The Ceann Comhairle is the chairman of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas of Ireland. The person who holds the position is elected by members of the Dáil from among their number in the first session after each general election...
.
Early life
Born in Dublin in 1934, O'Hanlon was brought up in a family that had a strong association with the republicanIrish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
tradition. His father was a member of the Fourth Northern Division of the Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
during the War of Independence
Irish 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...
.
O'Hanlon was educated at Mullaghbawn
Mullaghbawn
Mullaghbawn or Mullaghbane is a small village and townland near Slieve Gullion in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 402...
National School, before later attending St. Mary's College, Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
and Blackrock College
Blackrock College
Blackrock College is a Catholic voluntary secondary school for boys aged 14–18, located in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. The College was founded by French missionaries in 1860, to act as a school and civil service training centre. Set in of grounds, it has an illustrious...
in Dublin. He subsequently studied medicine 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...
and qualified as a doctor. In 1965 O'Hanlon he was appointed to Carrickmacross
Carrickmacross
Carrickmacross or Carrickmacros is a town in County Monaghan, Ireland. The town and environs had a population of 4,387 according to the 2006 census, making it the second largest town in the county. The town won the prestigious European Entente Florale Silver Medal Award. It is a market town which...
as the local general practitioner and was the medical representative on the North Eastern Health Board from its inception in 1970 until 1987.
Beginnings
O'Hanlon entered his first electoral contest when he was the Fianna FáilFianna 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...
candidate in the 1973 Monaghan by-election caused by the election of Erskine Childers
Erskine Hamilton Childers
Erskine Hamilton Childers served as the fourth President of Ireland from 1973 until his death in 1974. He was a Teachta Dála from 1938 until 1973...
to the Presidency
President of Ireland
The President of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland. The President is usually directly elected by the people for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute...
. He was unsuccessful on this occasion but was eventually elected at the 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...
for the Cavan–Monaghan
Cavan–Monaghan (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Cavan–Monaghan is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies...
constituency. O'Hanlon was one of a handful of new Fianna Fáil deputies who were elected in that landslide victory for the party and, as a new TD, he remained on the backbenches. Two years later he became a member of Monaghan County Council
Monaghan County Council
Monaghan County Council is the local authority which is responsible for County Monaghan in Ireland. The Council is responsible for Housing and Community, Roads and Transportation, Urban planning and Development, Amenity and Culture, and Environment. The county seat is at Monaghan Council Offices...
, serving on that authority until 1987.
In 1979 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....
suddenly resigned as 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 leader of Fianna Fáil. The subsequent leadership election
Fianna Fáil leadership election, 1979
The 1979 Fianna Fáil leadership election began in December 1979, when Jack Lynch resigned as party leader and Taoiseach. Lynch had been party leader for thirteen years and Taoiseach for over nine years. His successor was elected by the members of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party on 7 December...
resulted in a straight contest between 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 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...
. The latter had the backing of the majority of the existing cabinet, however, a backbench revolt saw Haughey become Taoiseach. O'Hanlon supported Colley and was thus overlooked for appointment to the new ministerial and junior ministerial positions. In spite of this he did become a member of the powerful Public Accounts Committee in the Oireachtas
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
.
When Fianna Fáil returned to power after a short-lived 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...
government in 1982, O'Hanlon was once again overlooked for ministerial promotion. An extensive cabinet reshuffle towards the end of the year saw O'Hanlon become Minister of State for Social Welfare Payments
Ministers of State of the 23rd Dáil
On 9 March 1982 the 18th Government of Ireland was officially appointed by Dáil Éireann. The new Fianna Fáil government was led by the Taoiseach Charles Haughey....
. His tenure was short-lived as the government fell a few weeks later and Fianna Fáil were out of power.
Government minister
In early 1983 Charles Haughey announced a new front benchFianna Fáil Front Bench
Fianna Fáil is currently the third largest political party in the Oireachtas. On 12 April 2011 party leader Micheál Martin appointed a front bench consisting of all 20 of the party's Teachtaí Dála and one councillor to be spokespersons on areas corresponding to the various government departments...
and O'Hanlon was promoted to the position of spokesperson on Health and Social Welfare.
Following 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...
Fianna Fáil were back in power, albeit with a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
, and O'Hanlon became Minister for Health. Immediatley after taking office he was confronted with a number of controversial issues, including the resolution of a radiographers' dispute and the formation of an AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
awarness campaign. While Fianna Fáil campaigned on a platform of not introducing any public spending cuts, the party committed a complete u-turn once in government. The savage cuts in relation to healthcare earned O'Hanlon the nickname "Dr. Death". In spite of earning this reputation, O'Hanlon also introduced law to curb smoking in public places.
O'Hanlon's handling of the Department of Health meant that he was one of the names tipped for promotion as a result of Ray MacSharry
Ray MacSharry
Raymond MacSharry is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician, who served in a range of cabinet positions, most notably as Tánaiste, Minister for Finance and European Commissioner.-Early life:...
departure as Minister for Finance
Minister for Finance (Ireland)
The Minister for Finance is the title held by the Irish government minister responsible for all financial and monetary matters. The office-holder controls the Department of Finance and is considered one of the most important members of the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Finance is...
. In the end he was retained as Minister for Health and was disappointed not to be given a new portfolio following 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...
.
In 1991 O'Hanlon became Minister for the Environment following 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...
' failed leadership challenge against Charles Haughey.
When Reynolds eventually came to power in 1992 O'Hanlon was just one of several high-profile members of the cabinet who lost their ministerial positions.
Post-cabinet career
In 1995 O'Hanlon became chairman of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party before being elected Leas-Cheann Comhairle (Deputy Chairman) of Dáil Éireann in 1997. Following the 2002 general electionIrish 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...
O'Hanlon became Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann. In this position he was required to remain neutral and, as such, he was no longer classed as a representative of any political party. He was an active chairman of the Dáil; however, on occasion he was criticised, most notably by Labour's Pat Rabbitte
Pat Rabbitte
Pat Rabbitte is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources since March 2011...
, for allegedly stifling debate and being overly protective of the government. Following the 2007 general election, he was succeeded as Ceann Comhairle by John O'Donoghue
John O'Donoghue (politician)
John O'Donoghue is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Kerry South constituency from 1987 to 2011. He is a former Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas. He resigned as Ceann Comhairle on 13 October 2009 due to controversy about his...
. He is currently the Vice-Chairman of the Joint Oireachtas
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
Committee on Foreign Affairs.
He retired from politics at the 2011 general election.
Private life
Two of O'Hanlon's children have served as local politicians in Cavan–Monaghan, a son Shane is a former member of Monaghan County Council and a daughter Fiona O'Hea served one term on CootehillCootehill
Cootehill, known before the Plantation of Ulster as Munnilly , is a prominent market town in County Cavan, Ireland.-History:Cootehill was established as a market town in 1725 when a charter was obtained to hold markets and fairs, and developed strong ties to the Irish linen industry...
Town Council while the Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
TD Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin is a Sinn Féin politician from Ireland. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Cavan–Monaghan constituency since 1997 and was the parliamentary leader of Sinn Féin in Dáil Éireann from 1997–2011.-Biography:Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin was born in Monaghan in 1953. He was educated at St....
, is also a relation of O'Hanlon. O'Hanlon is also the father of the well-known comedian Ardal O'Hanlon
Ardal O'Hanlon
Ardal O'Hanlon is an Irish comedian and actor, best known for his roles in television sitcoms as Father Dougal McGuire in Father Ted and George Sunday in My Hero.-Early life:...
.