Mathew Gerrard L'Estrange (7 November 1917 – 5 April 1996) was an Irish

Fine Gael Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, 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 Éireann. The party had a member ...

politician who served as Government Chief Whip and

Minister of State at the Department of Defence The Minister of State at the Department of Defence () is a junior ministerial post in the Department of Defence (Ireland), Department of Defence of the Government of Ireland who performs duties and functions delegated by the Minister for Defence ...

from June 1981 to November 1981. He served as a

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( ; ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish language, Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The official Engli ...

(TD) for the Longford–Westmeath from 1965 to 1987, a

Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

(MEP) for 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 and the two houses of the Oireachtas (): a house ...

from 1973 to 1979 and a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

for the

Administrative Panel The Administrative Panel is one of five vocational panels which together elect 43 of the 60 members of Seanad Éireann, the senate of the Oireachtas (the legislature of Republic of Ireland, Ireland). The Administrative Panel elects seven senator ...

from 1954 to 1965.

Political career

L'Estrange was elected to

Westmeath County Council Westmeath County Council () is the local authority of County Westmeath, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planni ...

in 1942, and served on that body until 1981. He was

cathaoirleach Cathaoirleach (; Irish language, Irish for Chair (officer), chairperson; plural: ) is the title of the chair (or speaker (politics), presiding officer) of Seanad Éireann, the sixty-member upper house of the Oireachtas, the legislature of Repub ...

of the council for three years from 1959 to 1961 and served on virtually all the subsidiary and other bodies to which the council made appointments. He was chairman of the General Council of County Councils (Ireland) on three occasions, now known as the Association of County and City Councils. L'Estrange was an unsuccessful

Clann na Talmhan Clann na Talmhan (, "Family/Children of the land"; formally known as the ''National Agricultural Party'') was an Irish agrarian political party active between 1939 and 1965. Formation and growth Clann na Talmhan was founded on 29 June 1939 in ...

candidate for

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...

at the 1944 general election. He later joined

and ran as their candidate at the 1948 general election, but was again unsuccessful. In 1954, he secured election to the 8th Seanad as a Senator for the

. He was re-elected in 1957 to

9th Seanad The 9th Seanad was in office from 1957 to 1961. An election to Seanad Éireann, the senate of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament), followed the 1957 general election to the 16th Dáil. The senators served until the close of poll for the 10th Se ...

, and in 1961 to

10th Seanad The 10th Seanad was in office from 1961 to 1965. An election to Seanad Éireann, the senate of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament), followed the 1961 general election to the 19th Dáil. The senators served until the close of the poll for the 11t ...

. After another unsuccessful candidacy at the 1961 general election, L'Estrange was finally elected to the 18th Dáil for the Longford–Westmeath constituency at the 1965 election, and was re-elected at each successive election until he retired from politics at the 1987 general election. After the 1981 general election, a

– Labour Party coalition was returned to office in the

22nd Dáil The 22nd Dáil was elected at the 1981 Irish general election, 1981 general election on 11 June 1981 and met on 30 June 1981. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature), of Republic of Ireland, I ...

under

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

Garret FitzGerald Garret Desmond FitzGerald (9 February 192619 May 2011) was an Irish Fine Gael politician, economist, and barrister who served twice as Taoiseach, serving from 1981 to 1982 and 1982 to 1987. He served as Leader of Fine Gael from 1977 to 1987 an ...

. L'Estrange was appointed

Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

, a position which included the role of

Chief Whip The Chief Whip is a political leader whose task is to enforce the whipping system, which aims to ensure that legislators who are members of a political party attend and vote on legislation as the party leadership prescribes. United Kingdom I ...

. In 1973, L'Estrange was appointed a member of the second delegation from the

to the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two 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 ...

and re-appointed to the third delegation in 1977. When his party was in Government and was being attacked by

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...

on the draining of the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( or archaic ') is the major river on the island of Ireland, and at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of I ...

, he is reputed to have replied "If you can suck as well as you can blow, the Shannon will be drained by teatime".

Personal life

Gerry L'Estrange was born in ,

Street A street is a public thoroughfare in a city, town or village, typically lined with Building, buildings on one or both sides. Streets often include pavements (sidewalks), pedestrian crossings, and sometimes amenities like Street light, streetligh ...

County Westmeath County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...

the eldest of six children of farmer Patrick L'Estrange and Maud (''née'' Byrne).Ireland, Civil Registration Indexes 1845–1958 He was a noted athlete who competed on the national and local stage in long-distance running. In 1955, he married farmer's daughter Aileen Kellaghan from Ballinriddera,

Multyfarnham Multyfarnham or Multyfarnam () is a village in County Westmeath, Ireland. As of the 2022 census, it had a population of 460 people. History First founded in 1268, the Franciscan monastery at Multyfarnham is still home to a community of fria ...

. They lived in Killintown, Multyfarnham. Both L'Estrange and his wife were keen on greyhound racing, owning and training their own dogs. L'Estrange died on Good Friday, 1996 after a long illness. The then Taoiseach,

John Bruton John Gerard Bruton (18 May 1947 – 6 February 2024) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 1994 to 1997 and Leader of Fine Gael from 1990 to 2001. He held cabinet positions between 1981‍ and 1987, including twice ...

, spoke of a man who "could speak strongly and from a deep conviction and at the same time hold no personal malice towards any of the victims of his eloquence".

Maurice Manning Maurice Manning (born 14 June 1943) is an Irish academic and former Fine Gael politician. Manning was a member of the Oireachtas for 21 years, serving in both the Dáil and the Seanad. On 12 March 2009 he was elected Chancellor of the Natio ...

recalled a man never "in bad humour or without that smile which usually meant that a practical joke or a good story was on the way".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:L'Estrange, Gerry 1917 births 1996 deaths Fine Gael TDs Members of the 8th Seanad Members of the 9th Seanad Members of the 10th Seanad 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 Fine Gael MEPs MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 1977–1979 MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 1973–1977 20th-century Irish farmers Ministers of State of the 22nd Dáil Fine Gael senators Government Chief Whip (Ireland) Politicians from County Westmeath Administrative Panel senators Clann na Talmhan candidates in Dáil elections