Liam Aylward (born 27 September 1952) is a former Irish
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 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 o ...
from 1988 to 1989, from 1992 to 1994 and from 2004 to 2004. He served as 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
East
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
constituency from 2004 to 2014. He was 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) for the
Carlow–Kilkenny constituency from 1977 to 2007.
Aylward was born in
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
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in 1952, but is a native of
Mullinavat
Mullinavat () is a town in south County Kilkenny, Ireland. Its main industries are tourism and agriculture. It has a renowned sporting history, particularly in hurling. The town's name in Irish translates as 'The Mill of the Stick' which, accor ...
,
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...
. He was educated at
St Kieran's College
St Kieran's College (Coláiste Chiaráin) is a Roman Catholic secondary school, located on College Road, Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Ireland.
History
St Kieran's College was founded in Kilkenny, in the diocese of Ossory in 1782, after the pas ...
,
Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
. He worked as a laboratory technician before getting involved in politics. He was elected to
Kilkenny County Council
Kilkenny County Council ( ga, Comhairle Chontae Chill Chainnigh) is the authority responsible for local government in County Kilkenny, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible f ...
in 1974, and served on that authority until 1992.
Aylward was first elected 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 ...
as a Fianna Fáil TD for the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency at the
1977 general election in what proved to be a landslide for Fianna Fáil.
He served as
Minister of State at the Department of Energy (1988–1989),
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 ...
(1992–1994) and the
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food (2002–2004). In 1998, Aylward was the subject of a complaint to
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas (, ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:
*The President of Ireland
*The bicameralism, two houses of the Oireachtas ...
authorities for groping a female usher in the Dáil bar, for which he apologised.
In
June 2004, he was elected to 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 ...
for the
East
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
constituency for Fianna Fáil, which was then part of the
Union for a Europe of Nations. After the
2009 European Parliament election, Fianna Fáil joined the
ALDE group. Aylward became a member of the
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) is a committee of the European Parliament.
Responsibilities of the Committee
AGRI is the European Parliament committee responsible for:
#The operation and development of the Common Agricul ...
, the delegation for relations with
Mercosur
The Southern Common Market, commonly known by Spanish abbreviation Mercosur, and Portuguese Mercosul, is a South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in 1994. Its full members are Argentina ...
, and the delegation to the
Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly
The Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) is a trans-national body of 150 Parliamentarians from Europe and Latin America. It was established in 2006 to bolster EU-Latin American relations. It was described by Benita Ferrero-Waldner, ...
. He also became a substitute member of the
Committee on Culture and Education
The Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) is a committee of the European Parliament.
Responsibilities of the Committee
This committee has focused on the well-being of all members of the human race and the increased opportunities for educat ...
and the delegation to the
ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
The ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly was created to bring together the elected representatives of the European Union (the Members of the European Parliament) and the elected representatives of the African, Caribbean and Pacific states ("ACP c ...
.
Owing to the
dual mandate legislation that forbids members of the European Parliament from seeking re-election as members of their national legislatures, he retired from national politics at the
2007 general election. He was succeeded as a Fianna Fáil TD by his brother
Bobby Aylward
Robert Aylward (1 April 1955 – 14 July 2022) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency from 2007 to 2011 and 2015 to 2020.
Politics
He was a member of Kilkenny County Coun ...
. They are sons of
Bob Aylward, who served as a Fianna Fáil
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
from 1973 to 1974.
Aylward has opted not to receive a ministerial pension, but still receives annual pension payments of around €50,000 from his time as a TD.
He retired from politics at the
2014 European Parliament election.
See also
*
Families in the Oireachtas
There is a tradition in Irish politics of having family members succeed each other, frequently in the same parliamentary seat. This article lists families where two or more members of that family have been members ( TD or Senator) of either of th ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aylward, Liam
1952 births
Living people
Fianna Fáil MEPs
Fianna Fáil TDs
Local councillors in County Kilkenny
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
Members of the 26th Dáil
Members of the 27th Dáil
Members of the 28th Dáil
Members of the 29th Dáil
MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 2004–2009
MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 2009–2014
Ministers of State of the 25th Dáil
Ministers of State of the 26th Dáil
Ministers of State of the 27th Dáil
Ministers of State of the 29th Dáil