Michael Lanigan (born 30 January 1938) is a retired

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

company director 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 from

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 a

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 1977 to 2002, and was noted in the Seanad for his interest in foreign affairs, particularly humanitarian issues and the

Palestinian cause Palestinian nationalism is the national movement of the Palestinian people that espouses self-determination and sovereignty over the region of Palestine.de Waart, 1994p. 223 Referencing Article 9 of ''The Palestinian National Charter of 1968' ...

Political career

At the 1977 general election, Lanigan stood in the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency but failed to win a seat in the

21st Dáil First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

. In the subsequent elections to the

14th Seanad This is a list of the members of the 14th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1977, after the 1977 general election and served until the close of poll for the ...

, he was elected 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 In ...

. Lanigan stood again for the Dáil at the 1981 general election and November 1982 general elections in Carlow–Kilkenny, but was unsuccessful on both occasions. He was re-elected by the Industrial and Commercial Panel to each successive Seanad until his defeat at the 1989 elections, when 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 ...

Charles Haughey Charles James Haughey (; 16 September 1925 – 13 June 2006) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach on three occasions – 1979 to 1981, March to December 1982 and 1987 to 1992. He was also Minister for the Gaeltacht from ...

, to the 19th Seanad. The Industrial and Commercial Panel re-elected him in 1992 to the 20th and in 1997 to the 21st Seanad, but he did not contest the 2002 elections to the 22nd Seanad. Lanigan was leader of the opposition Fianna Fáil group in the 17th Seanad (1983–1987), and was

Leader of the Seanad The Leader of the Seanad (referred to within the Seanad as Leader of the House ga, Treoraí an Tí) is a member of Seanad Éireann appointed by the Taoiseach to direct government business. Since December 2022, the incumbent is Lisa Chambers of ...

in the

18th Seanad This is a list of the members of the 18th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1987, after the 1987 general election and served until the close of poll for the ...

(1987–1989). He was reappointed as Leader in the 19th Seanad (1989–1993), but resigned (along with all the Fianna Fáil

whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

s) in May 1990 after the government lost a series of votes when no Fianna Fáil senators were present in the chamber. He later served as Chairman of the

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 ...

Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs. Lanigan was noted as a supporter of an independent Palestinian state. Lanigan founded the Friends of Palestine in the Oireachtas. In December 2003 he was awarded the Order of Bethlehem by Palestinian President

Yasser Arafat Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini (4 / 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat ( , ; ar, محمد ياسر عبد الرحمن عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني, Mu ...

. The Order, which is the highest honour bestowed on behalf of the Palestinian people, was made at a ceremony in

Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ar, رام الله, , God's Height) is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank that serves as the ''de facto'' administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusale ...

in which Arafat commended Lanigan for having supported the

"when it was not popular to do so". Lanigan continues to be involved with the Palestinian cause, in his capacity as chairman of Irish Medical Aid for Palestine. The organisation works with all sectors of Palestinian society and with sister organisations from outside Palestine for the improvement of health in Palestine. In addition, Lanigan is a member of the Oxfam Ireland Members council. His son, also called Mick, was a member of Kilkenny Town Council and

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 for ...

from 1999 to 2009.

Sporting Achievements

Lanigan was an accomplished athlete. He was successful in the 100 metre hurdles at the Catholic International Student Games, before going on to win further national and international honours on the track. Lanigan was one of the founding members of the Kilkenny City Harriers athletics club in 1953.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lanigan, Mick 1938 births Living people Local councillors in County Kilkenny Fianna Fáil senators Members of the 14th Seanad Members of the 15th Seanad Members of the 16th Seanad Members of the 17th Seanad Members of the 18th Seanad Members of the 19th Seanad Members of the 20th Seanad Members of the 21st Seanad Nominated members of Seanad Éireann