Donal John Creed (7 September 1924 – 23 November 2017) was an Irish

Fine Gael Fine Gael (, ; English: "Family (or Tribe) of the Irish") is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil � ...

politician who served as a

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...

from June 1981 to February 1982 and from December 1982 to February 1986. He served as a

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( , ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament). It is the equivalent of terms such as ''Member of Parli ...

(TD) from 1965 to 1989. He was a

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

(MEP) for the Oireachtas from 1973 to 1977.

Political career

He first stood for Dáil Éireann at a by-election in March 1965 for the Cork Mid constituency, following the death of the Labour Party TD

Dan Desmond Daniel Desmond (3 October 1913 – 9 December 1964) was an Irish Labour Party politician and Teachta Dála (TD) for seventeen years. Early life Desmond was born on 3 October 1913 in Crosshaven, County Cork, the second child of two sons and f ...

. The by-election was won by Desmond's widow Eileen, but at the 1965 general election in April that year Creed won the fourth seat in the four-seat constituency. Creed was re-elected at seven further general elections, moving in

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 ...

to the new Cork North-West constituency when Cork Mid was abolished in boundary changes. From 1973 to 1977, he served as one of Ireland's first

Members of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

(MEP), before MEPs were directly elected. Creed served on three of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

's committees: Agriculture, Public Health and the Environment, Regional Policy and Transport. He was also Chairman of

Cork County Council Cork County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Chorcaí) is the authority responsible for local government in County Cork, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and ...

from 1978 to 1979. In Garret FitzGerald's first coalition government, Creed was appointed as

Minister of State at the Department of Health The Minister of State at the Department of Health is a junior ministerial post in the Department of Health of the Government of Ireland who may perform functions delegated by the Minister for Health. A Minister of State Minister of State is ...

from June to November 1981, and then as Minister of State at the Department of the Environment from November 1981 until the government was defeated in a budget vote in January 1982.

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 Christia ...

was returned to power at the resulting February 1982 general election, but that government also was short-lived. When FitzGerald formed a second coalition government after another general election in November 1982, Creed was appointed

Minister of State at the Department of Education The Minister of State at the Department of Education is a junior ministerial post in the Department of Education of the Government of Ireland who performs duties and functions delegated by the Minister for Education. A Minister of State does no ...

on 16 December 1982. He held that post until he was dismissed from office as part of a reshuffle in February 1986. He served as Chairman of the Fine Gael parliamentary party from 1987 to 1989. He stepped down from the Dáil at the 1989 general election, when his son Michael Creed held the seat for Fine Gael.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Creed, Donal 1924 births 2017 deaths Fine Gael TDs Members of the 18th Dáil Members of the 19th Dáil Members of the 20th Dáil Members of the 21st Dáil Members of the 22nd Dáil Members of the 23rd Dáil Members of the 24th Dáil Members of the 25th Dáil Local councillors in County Cork Fine Gael MEPs MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 1973–1977 Ministers of State of the 24th Dáil Ministers of State of the 22nd Dáil People from Macroom