| Rory O'Hanlon | |
|---|---|
| Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann | |
| In office 6 June 2002 – 14 June 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | Séamus Pattison |
| Succeeded by | John O'Donoghue |
| Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann | |
| In office 9 July 1997 – 6 June 2002 |
|
| Preceded by | Joe Jacob |
| Succeeded by | Séamus Pattison |
| Minister for the Environment | |
| In office 14 November 1991 – 14 February 1992 |
|
| Preceded by | John P. Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Michael Smith |
| Minister for Health | |
| In office 10 March 1987 – 14 November 1991 |
|
| Preceded by | John Boland |
| Succeeded by | Mary O'Rourke |
| Minister of State for Social Welfare Claims | |
| In office 28 October 1982 – 14 December 1982 |
|
| Preceded by | Denis Gallagher |
| Succeeded by | Fergus O'Brien |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office 5 July 1977 – 1 February 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Succeeded by | Joe O'Reilly |
| Constituency | Cavan–Monaghan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 February 1934 Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political party | Fianna Fáil |
| Spouse(s) | Teresa Ward |
| Children | 6 |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
Rory O'Hanlon (born 7 February 1934) 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.[1]
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Born in Dublin in 1934, O'Hanlon was brought up in a family that had a strong association with the republican 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.[2]
O'Hanlon entered his first electoral contest when he was the Fianna Fáil 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.[3] 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.
In early 1983 Charles Haughey announced a new front bench 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.
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 election 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.[4]
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 Cootehill 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.
| Oireachtas | ||
|---|---|---|
| New constituency | Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for Cavan–Monaghan 1977–2011 |
Succeeded by Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Denis Gallagher |
Minister of State for Social Welfare Claims 1982 |
Succeeded by Fergus O'Brien |
| Preceded by John Boland |
Minister for Health 1987–1991 |
Succeeded by Mary O'Rourke |
| Preceded by John Wilson (acting) |
Minister for the Environment 1991–1992 |
Succeeded by Michael Smith |
| Preceded by Joe Jacob |
Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann 1997–2002 |
Succeeded by Séamus Pattison |
| Preceded by Séamus Pattison |
Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann 2002–2007 |
Succeeded by John O'Donoghue |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Joe Jacob |
Chairman of the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party 1995–2002 |
Succeeded by Séamus Kirk |
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