Bernard McGlinchey (18 October 1932 – 11 April 2013) was an Irish businessman and

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian- ...

politician. He was a member of

Seanad Éireann Seanad Éireann (, ; "Senate of Ireland") is the upper house of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (the lower house). It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its memb ...

from 1961 to 1981, and from 1982 to 1983.

Early life

McGlinchey was born to Patrick McGlinchey and his wife Sarah (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' O'Boyle) in 1932, and educated at

St Eunan's College St Eunan's College ( ; ga, Coláiste Adhamhnáin), known locally as The College to distinguish it from the cathedral and GAA club, is a voluntary Roman Catholic all-male secondary day school (and former boarding school) in County Donegal, Ire ...

. He had six older siblings and one younger one. He was expelled from secondary school.

Business career

A restaurant proprietor, McGlinchey founded the Golden Grill Nightclub, renowned as the unofficial

headquarters and venue of party conventions. He was a

millionaire A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire. In countries that use the short scal ...

Political career

McGlinchey was first elected to the Seanad by the

Industrial and Commercial Panel The Industrial and Commercial Panel ( ga, An Rolla Tionscail Agus Tráchtála) is one of five vocational panels which together elect 43 of the 60 members of Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (the legislature of Ireland). The Ind ...

in 1961. At the 1973 election he was elected by the

Administrative Panel The Administrative Panel () is one of five vocational panels which together elect 43 of the 60 members of Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (the legislature of Ireland). The Administrative Panel elects seven senators. Election ...

, and he was

nominated by the Taoiseach A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * t ...

in 1977. He did not contest the 1981 election, but in 1982 was nominated by the Taoiseach to the

16th Seanad This is a list of the members of the 16th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1982, after the February 1982 general election and served until the close of poll ...

. At the start of his political career McGlinchey was closely linked with

Neil Blaney Neil Terence Columba Blaney (1 October 1922 – 8 November 1995) was an Irish politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1948 as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) representing Donegal East. A high-profile member of the party, Blaney ...

. Paul M. Sacks, an American academic, wrote a book called ''The Donegal Mafia'' which detailed the actions of the two men and their team. He once debated for 12 hours, a Seanad Éireann record for the longest speech. McGlinchey stood for election to

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...

in the constituencies of Donegal North-East (

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

, November 1982) and

Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

(

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

), but was unsuccessful each time. He was a member of

Donegal County Council Donegal County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Dhún na nGall) is the authority responsible for local government in County Donegal, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for hou ...

for the

Letterkenny Letterkenny ( ga, Leitir Ceanainn , meaning 'hillside of the O'Cannons'), nicknamed 'the Cathedral Town', is the largest and most populous town in County Donegal, a county in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Letterkenny lies on the R ...

area until 2004. McGlinchey is said to have "practically invented as a politician"

Jim McDaid James Joseph McDaid (born 3 October 1949) is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Donegal North-East constituency from June 1989 until he resigned in November 2010. He also served as Minister for Tou ...

, selecting "the young, presentable McDaid" and setting him on the path for a career in national politics. McDaid achieved what McGlinchey could not, being elected to the Dáil on his first attempt at the 1989 general election, eventually serving in government, as Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation between 1997 and 2002 and as Minister of State for Transport between 2002 and 2004, and being re-elected to the Dáil at every subsequent election until his retirement in 2010.

Personal life

McGlinchey married Elizabeth and had five children: three daughters and two sons. One of his daughters, Adrienne McGlinchey, featured in the national media in 2002 in relation to the Carty Inquiry. She was born in 1965 in Letterkenny and shared a flat in

Buncrana Buncrana ( ; ) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is beside Lough Swilly on the Inishowen peninsula, northwest of Derry and north of Letterkenny. In the 2016 census, the population was 6,785 making it the second most populous town in Cou ...

between 1991 and 1995 with Yvonne Devine, a Letterkenny woman who had been employed by a restaurant run by McGlinchey family members in the town. Adrienne McGlinchey was arrested several times in this period, though records seem to exist mainly of one arrest in July 1991. A Garda sergeant acquainted with her described her as "a

Walter Mitty Walter Jackson Mitty is a fictional character in James Thurber's first short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", first published in ''The New Yorker'' on March 18, 1939, and in book form in '' My World—and Welcome to It'' in 1942. Thurber ...

type of person". Bernard McGlinchey died at home, aged 80, on 11 April 2013. At the time of his death his partner was Kathleen Sweeney.

Memorial

Letterkenny Town Park is named after McGlinchey.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGlinchey, Bernard 1932 births 2013 deaths Fianna Fáil senators Irish businesspeople Local councillors in County Donegal Members of the 10th Seanad Members of the 11th Seanad Members of the 12th Seanad Members of the 13th Seanad Members of the 14th Seanad Members of the 16th Seanad Nominated members of Seanad Éireann People educated at St Eunan's College People from Letterkenny Irish political consultants Politicians from County Donegal