Detta O'Cathain, Baroness O'Cathain, OBE (born 2 February 1938, Laurel Hill, County Limerick) is an Irish-born British businesswoman and politician. She has been a director of many companies, including Midland Bank plc, Tesco plc, British Airways plc, BNP/Paribas (UK) and Allders.
Born to Caoimhín and Margaret (née Prior) O'Cathain, she was educated at Laurel Hill Convent in her native County Limerick before pursuing higher education and emigrating to England.
She was made a life peer as Baroness O'Cathain, of The Barbican in the City of London in 1991 and sits in the House of Lords on the Conservative benches. She made many appearances on Question Time on BBC in the 1980s. She is known for her socially conservative views, in particular her efforts to retain the ban on same-sex couples from adopting, and has taken on a leadership role in the movement which stands up against gay rights after the death of Lady Young.[1]
In 2004, Lady O'Cathain denied that her decision to step down from the board of British Airways was connected with a threatened boycott of the airline by gay rights group Stonewall.[2] Gay rights supporters took exception to what was described as her attempted "wrecking" amendment of the civil partnerships bill. She responded that her amendment was "nothing to do with homosexuals at all." In 2009, she proposed a law criminalising the possession of "extreme pornographic writings", similar to the recently passed law on images.[3][4]
Lady O'Cathain's surname is pronounced oh ka-HOYN.