Thomas G. O'Donnell (30 August 1926 – 8 October 2020) 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 Minister for the Gaeltacht from 1973 to 1977. 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) for the

Limerick East Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. With a populati ...

from 1961 to 1987. He also 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 Munster constituency from 1979 to 1989.

Career

He was born in

Charleville Charleville can refer to: Australia * Charleville, Queensland, a town in Australia **Charleville railway station, Queensland France * Charleville, Marne, a commune in Marne, France *Charleville-Mézières, a commune in Ardennes, France ** ...

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...

, in 1926. He was educated at the

Crescent College Crescent College Comprehensive SJ, formerly known as the College of the Sacred Heart, is a secondary school located on of parkland at Dooradoyle, Limerick, Ireland. The college is one of a number of Jesuit schools in Ireland. The 2016 ''Su ...

, Salesian College and

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 33,284 student ...

, where he received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree. He worked as a teacher and a voluntary community activist before becoming involved in politics. O'Donnell was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1961 general election as a Fine Gael TD for

. He was Opposition Front Bench spokesperson on Transport, Power and Tourism from 1969 to 1973. He served in the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

on one occasion in the

National Coalition The National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces ( ar, الائتلاف الوطني لقوى الثورة والمعارضة السورية), commonly named the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) ( ar, الائتلاف الو ...

under

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the o ...

Liam Cosgrave between 1973 and 1977 as Minister for the Gaeltacht. He was Opposition Front Bench spokesperson on Telecommunications from 1977 to 1979. O'Donnell 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 ...

at the 1979 election, and served until 1984. He retired from national politics following the 1987 general election at which he lost his seat. He was spokesperson on Regional Policy for the European People's Party (EPP) from 1979 to 1989. After his retirement from politics he became actively involved in the

voluntary sector The voluntary sector, independent sector, or civic sector is the realm of social activity undertaken by organizations that are non-governmental nonprofit organizations. This sector is also called the third sector, community sector, and nonprofit ...

. He was Chairperson of the Irish Peace Institute at the

University of Limerick The University of Limerick (UL) ( ga, Ollscoil Luimnigh) is a public research university institution in Limerick, Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in 1989 in accordance w ...

, Chairperson of the PAUL Partnership, Chairperson to the Limerick City and County Strategy Group and the Limerick Employment Pact. In 2005, he was honoured by

Limerick City Council Limerick City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Luimnigh) was the authority responsible for local government in the city of Limerick in Ireland. The council had 17 elected members. The head of the council had the title of Mayor. Limerick City ...

with a civic reception and a special presentation to mark half a century of his political and voluntary services to the people of Limerick City and County. He was married to Helen O'Connor from Sligo, former Honorary National Secretary of Fine Gael; they have one son. His uncle Richard O'Connell was a

Cumann na nGaedheal Cumann na nGaedheal (; "Society of the Gaels") was a political party in the Irish Free State, which formed the government from 1923 to 1932. In 1933 it merged with smaller groups to form the Fine Gael party. Origins In 1922 the pro-Treaty ...

TD for

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

from 1924 to 1932, and his nephew

Kieran O'Donnell Kieran O'Donnell (born 8 May 1963) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as a Minister of State (Ireland), Minister of State since December 2022. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick City (Dáil constituency), Limerick Ci ...

is a Fine Gael TD for

Limerick City Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

. O'Donnell died in October 2020 at the age of 94.

References

External links

*
Tom O'Donnell in 'Politicians' file at Limerick City Library, Ireland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odonnell, Tom 1926 births 2020 deaths Fine Gael TDs Members of the 17th Dáil 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 Politicians from County Limerick Fine Gael MEPs MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 1984–1989 MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 1979–1984 People educated at Crescent College Alumni of University College Dublin

Career

See also

References

External links