Niamh Bhreathnach

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Niamh Bhreathnach (born 1945) was a senior Irish Labour Party politician. She served as Minister for Education from 1993 until 1997, and perhaps her most lasting achievement was the upgrading of the WRTC/Waterford Institute of Technology. She was a Teachta Dála (TD) for Dún Laoghaire from 1992 until 1997. She holds the distinction of being one of only five TDs to be appointed Minister on their first day in the Dáil.

Niamh Bhreathnach was born in Dublin in 1945, her father was Brendan Breathnach the civil servant and collector of Irish Music. Educated at Sion Hill and Froebel Teacher Training College, Dublin, she later qualified as a remedial teacher. Bhreathnach was chairwoman of the Labour Party from 1990 until 1993. She was elected as a Labour Party TD for the first time in 1992, serving until 1997. In 1993 she became Minister for Education in the Fianna Fáil-Labour Party coalition. She remained in that post during the Rainbow Coalition until 1997 during this time tuition fees for third level institutions were abolished. She lost her Dáil seat in 1997 and is still a member of Dun Laoighaire Rathdown County Council.

[edit] Political career

Preceded by Séamus Brennan	Minister for Education 1993–1994	Succeeded by Michael Smith
Preceded by Michael Smith	Minister for Education 1994–1997	Succeeded by Micheál Martin

This page incorporates information from the Oireachtas Members Database