Stephen Coughlan
Encyclopedia
Stephen "Stevie" Coughlan (26 December 1910 – 20 December 1994) was an Irish
Labour Party
politician who served for eighteen years as Teachta Dála
(TD) for the Limerick East constituency.
Coughlan stood for election as a Clann na Poblachta
candidate at the 1954 general election
, when he won the second-highest number of first-preference votes, but failed to win enough transfers to secure any of the four seats. He stood again for Clann na Poblachta at the 1957 general election
, but his vote had fallen significantly and he was again unsuccessful.
As Clann na Poblachta declined in support in the late 1950s, Coughlan joined the Labour Party and was elected as a Labour candidate at the 1961 general election
taking his seat in the 17th Dáil . He was returned to Dáil Éireann
at the next three elections, but lost his seat in the 1977 general election
to a former Labour party running-mate, Michael Lipper
, who stood as an independent.
Coughlan was described by the Irish political magazine Nusight as "personifying a parochialism and prejudice hitherto unknown at a national level". He was known for holding numerous views that conflicted with the Labour Party and his relationship with the Labour Party was always poor, particularly with its then leader Barry Desmond
. He infamously welcomed the highly controversial Springbok tour to Limerick in 1970, much to the chagrin of the Labour Party and the local Limerick City Labour chairman Jim Kemmy
.
As well as his career in the Dáil, Coughlan was also a long-serving member of Limerick City Council
, and was the Mayor of Limerick from 1969–1970.
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,...
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...
politician who served for eighteen years as 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 Limerick East constituency.
Coughlan stood for election as a Clann na Poblachta
Clann na Poblachta
Clann na Poblachta , abbreviated CnaP, was an Irish republican and social democratic political party founded by former Irish Republican Army Chief of Staff Seán MacBride in 1946.-Foundation:...
candidate at the 1954 general election
Irish general election, 1954
The Irish general election of 1954 was held on 18 May 1954. The newly elected members of the 15th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 2 June when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
, when he won the second-highest number of first-preference votes, but failed to win enough transfers to secure any of the four seats. He stood again for Clann na Poblachta at the 1957 general election
Irish general election, 1957
The Irish general election of 1957 was held on 5 March 1957, just over three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 4 February. The newly elected members of the 16th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 20 March when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed.The general election took place...
, but his vote had fallen significantly and he was again unsuccessful.
As Clann na Poblachta declined in support in the late 1950s, Coughlan joined the Labour Party and was elected as a Labour candidate at the 1961 general election
Irish general election, 1961
The Irish general election of 1961 was held on 4 October 1961, just over three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 8 September. The newly elected members of the 17th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 11 October when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed.The general election took...
taking his seat in the 17th Dáil . He was returned 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...
at the next three elections, but lost his seat in 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...
to a former Labour party running-mate, Michael Lipper
Michael Lipper
Michael Lipper was an Irish Labour Party politician who served for four years as an independent TD for the Limerick East constituency....
, who stood as an independent.
Coughlan was described by the Irish political magazine Nusight as "personifying a parochialism and prejudice hitherto unknown at a national level". He was known for holding numerous views that conflicted with the Labour Party and his relationship with the Labour Party was always poor, particularly with its then leader Barry Desmond
Barry Desmond
Barry Desmond is a former Irish Labour Party politician and government minister.He was educated at the Presentation Brothers, the School of Commerce and University College Cork, and became a trade union official with the ITGWU and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions...
. He infamously welcomed the highly controversial Springbok tour to Limerick in 1970, much to the chagrin of the Labour Party and the local Limerick City Labour chairman Jim Kemmy
Jim Kemmy
Jim Kemmy was an Irish socialist politician from Limerick, who started his political career in the Labour Party...
.
As well as his career in the Dáil, Coughlan was also a long-serving member of Limerick City Council
Limerick City Council
Limerick City Council is the local authority which is responsible for the city of Limerick in Ireland. It is the responsible for local government, sanitation, motor vehicles tax, and social housing.-History:...
, and was the Mayor of Limerick from 1969–1970.
External links
- Stephen Coughlan's electoral history (ElectionsIreland.org)