Mary O'Rourke (; 31 May 1937 – 3 October 2024) was an Irish

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 ...

politician who served as Leader of the Seanad and Leader of Fianna Fáil in the Seanad from 2002 to 2007, Deputy leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2002, Minister for Public Enterprise from 1997 to 2002,

Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental heal ...

from 1991 to 1992 and Minister for Education from 1987 to 1991. She also served as a

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

from 1992 to 1994. She 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) from 1982 to 2002 and 2007 to 2011. She served as 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

Cultural and Educational Panel Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, attitudes, and habits of the individuals in these gr ...

from 1981 to 1982 and from 2002 to 2007, after being

nominated by the Taoiseach A candidate, or nominee, is a prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position. For example, one can be a candidate for membership in a group or election to an office, in which case a ...

Early life and education

O'Rourke was born in

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midland Region, Ir ...

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 ...

on 31 May 1937. She came from a strong political family, her father Patrick Lenihan served as a TD for Longford–Westmeath from 1965 to 1970. Her brother Brian Lenihan was a senior government minister and

Tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the second-ranking member of the government of Ireland and the holder of its second-most senior office. It is the equivalent of the deputy prime minister in other parliamentary systems. The Tánaiste is appointed by the P ...

. Another brother Paddy Lenihan was a

county council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Australia In the Australian state of New South Wales, county councils are special purpose ...

lor in Roscommon but resigned from Fianna Fáil in 1983 and became associated with Neil Blaney's

Independent Fianna Fáil Independent Fianna Fáil (IFF), sometimes called the Independent Fianna Fáil Republican Party, was a splinter republican party in Republic of Ireland, Ireland created by Neil Blaney after his expulsion from Fianna Fáil following the Irish Arms ...

party. Two of her nephews, Brian Lenihan Jnr and Conor Lenihan, both sons of her brother Brian, served as ministers. Brian Lenihan Jnr was the Minister for Finance. Conor Lenihan was a

. She was educated at St. Peter's, Athlone; Loreto Bray Convent,

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...

;

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

and

St Patrick's College, Maynooth St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth (), is a pontifical Catholic university in the town of Maynooth near Dublin, Ireland Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mou ...

. She worked as a secondary school teacher before she began her political career.

Political career

O'Rourke began her political career in local politics, serving on Athlone Urban District Council between 1974 and 1987 and on

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 ...

between 1979 and 1987. She was elected to

Seanad Éireann Seanad Éireann ( ; ; "Senate of Ireland") is the senate of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (defined as the house of representatives). It is commonly called the Seanad or ...

in 1981 as a Senator for the

. She stood unsuccessfully for the Dáil at the February 1982 general election but was subsequently re-elected to the Seanad. At the November 1982 general election, she was first elected to

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 ...

as a Fianna Fáil TD for the Longford–Westmeath constituency, and from 1992 for the new

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 ...

constituency. In 1987, she was appointed Minister for Education by

Charles Haughey Charles James Haughey (; 16 September 1925 – 13 June 2006) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who led four governments as Taoiseach: December 1979 to June 1981, March to December 1982, March 1987 to June 1989, and June 1989 to February 1992 ...

. O'Rourke and her brother, Brian Lenihan, became the first siblings in Irish history to serve in the same cabinet. In November 1991 cabinet reshuffle, O'Rourke became

. In February 1992, Charles Haughey resigned as

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 ...

and Fianna Fáil leader. O'Rourke contested the subsequent leadership election along with Michael Woods and

Albert Reynolds Albert Martin Reynolds (3 November 1932 – 21 August 2014) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1992 to 1994. He held various cabinet positions between 1979 and 1991, including Ministe ...

. Reynolds defeated the other two contenders and O'Rourke was subsequently dropped from her ministerial position but was appointed to a junior ministry as Minister of State at the Department of Industry and Commerce with responsibility for Trade and Marketing. In January 1993, she was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise and Employment with responsibility for Labour Affairs, serving until the fall of the Reynolds government in December 1994. In 1994,

Bertie Ahern Bartholomew Patrick "Bertie" Ahern (born 12 September 1951) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, and as Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008. A Teachta Dála (TD) from 1977 to 2011, he served ...

became party leader and he appointed O'Rourke as deputy leader of Fianna Fáil, serving in the position until 2002. Following Ahern's election as

in June 1997, O'Rourke became Minister for Public Enterprise, holding this position until she lost her Dáil seat at the 2002 general election. This followed a vote management strategy from Fianna Fáil head office which restricted her from campaigning in her traditional areas around Kilbeggan, in an attempt to win 2 of the 3 seats in Westmeath. The loss of her Dáil seat has also been attributed to her association with and the championing of, the privatisation of

Telecom Éireann Telecom Éireann (; meaning "Telecommunications of Ireland") was an Irish state-owned telecommunications company that operated from 1983 to 1999. Prior to then a telephone and postal service was provided by the Department of Posts and Telegrap ...

, which proved a financial disaster for many small investors, due to the share price falling radically, after privatisation. Following the loss of her Dáil seat, she was nominated to

as a Senator by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern where she became Leader of the Seanad and leader of Fianna Fáil in the Seanad. In January 2006, O'Rourke received the party nomination to stand at the 2007 general election. She narrowly defeated her nearest rival and Dáil election running mate, Kevin "Boxer" Moran of Athlone Town Council, causing a controversy when she thanked her election team for working "like blacks." In May 2007, she was re-elected to the Dáil at the 2007 general election, with her highest ever vote. In November 2008, during a march against the re-introduction of college fees, students from the Athlone Institute of Technology laid a funeral wreath at the door of O'Rourke's constituency office. The card on the wreath stated "Sincere sympathies on the death of free fees. We will remember this." O'Rourke described the act as "heinous". The wreath was placed there because O'Rourke was not speaking at a rally against the fees. In July 2010, O'Rourke conceded that she did not expect the party to be in power after the next general election. On RTÉ Radio's '' Today with Pat Kenny'' programme, O'Rourke said the government was making tough decisions to steer the country through the financial crisis and this would make it easy for the opposition. She said there was a general air of "crossness" within the Fianna Fáil party over their standing in the polls, but nobody was harbouring leadership ambitions to challenge

Brian Cowen Brian Bernard Cowen (born 10 January 1960) is an Irish former politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2008 to 2011. Cowen served as a TD for the constituency of Laois–Offaly from 1984 to 2011 and served in several ...

. O'Rourke in November 2010 said there was then more to unite her party and Fine Gael than to divide them. She pointed to the common approach of the two parties to

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and the current financial crisis. In an address to the 1916–1921 Club in

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle () is a major Government of Ireland, Irish government complex, conference centre, and tourist attraction. It is located off Dame Street in central Dublin. It is a former motte-and-bailey castle and was chosen for its position at ...

, she said that most voters no longer defined themselves in terms of Civil War politics. Having pointed to the shared values of the two parties on several issues, she said the last issue she wanted to mention was the "dreaded b" word. Her senior years led her to often being referred to as the "Mammy of the Dáil". She contested the 2011 general election but was defeated. O'Rourke criticised former

, saying that he should have resigned after his infamous "congested" radio interview. She supported the attack on Cowen by her nephew, former Finance Minister Brian Lenihan, who said he was "disappointed" by Cowen's performance and he had to provide the leadership when the

did not. In retirement, she received a lump sum of €237,000 and an annual pension of €97,000.

Other activities

As well as being a well-known politician, O'Rourke made regular appearances in the media in a non-political capacity. She was a contestant on

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

's reality series '' Celebrity Bainisteoir'', as well as other shows such as '' Sex & Sensibility''. She guest presented ''

Tonight with Vincent Browne ''Tonight with Vincent Browne'' (formerly ''Nightly News with Vincent Browne'') was a news analysis, Current affairs (news format), current affairs and politics programme which was broadcast on Republic of Ireland, Ireland's Virgin Media One, T ...

''. In 2012, ''Just Mary: My Memoir'' was published. It won the 2012 Irish Book Award in the "Listeners' Choice" category.

Personal life and death

She married Enda O'Rourke in 1962, and they had two sons. One of them, Aengus O'Rourke, has been a member of

since 2014. The other,

Feargal O'Rourke Feargal O'Rourke (born 3 August 1964) is an Irish accountant and corporate tax expert, who was the managing partner of PwC in Ireland. He is considered the architect of the ''Double Irish'' tax scheme used by U.S. firms such as Apple, Google an ...

, became Managing Partner of PriceWaterHouseCoopers in Ireland in 2015 and is considered the "grand architect" of the

double Irish The Double Irish arrangement was a base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) corporate tax avoidance tool used mainly by United States multinationals since the late 1980s to avoid corporate taxation on non-U.S. profits. (The US was one of a sma ...

tax system, a major contributor to Ireland's economic success in attracting US multinationals to Ireland. Her husband Enda died in January 2001. O'Rourke died in Deansgrange, Dublin on 3 October 2024, at the age of 87.

References

External Links