Maurice Manning (born 14 June 1943) is an Irish academic and former

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. Manning was a member 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 and the two houses of the Oireachtas (): a house ...

for 21 years, serving in both the Dáil and the Seanad. On 12 March 2009 he was elected Chancellor of the

National University of Ireland The National University of Ireland (NUI) () is a federal university system of ''constituent universities'' (previously called '' constituent colleges'') and ''recognised colleges'' set up under the Irish Universities Act 1908, and signifi ...

, while remaining president of the Human Rights Commission. From 2002 to 2014, he was president of the Irish Human Rights Commission.

Early life

Manning was born in Bagenalstown, County Carlow, and educated at Presentation De La Salle College there. He attended Rockwell College,

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 ...

(UCD) and the University of Strathclyde. He earned a BA and MA from UCD, which in 2000 awarded him a DLitt. An academic by background, Manning previously lectured in the politics department of UCD. He is a member of the Senate of the National University of Ireland and of the Governing Authority of UCD, and was a member of the Governing Authority of the European University Institute at

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. He has written several books on modern Irish politics, including a biography of James Dillon, a political novel and a history of the

Blueshirts The Army Comrades Association (ACA), later the National Guard, Young Ireland and finally League of Youth, known by the nickname the Blueshirts (), was a paramilitary organisation in the Irish Free State, founded in 1932.New Irish Army Arises, Ne ...

movement.

Political career

Manning first stood for election in 1979 as a

candidate for the Dublin constituency at the first European Parliament election, when he did not win a seat. He was unsuccessful again when he stood at the 1981 general election in the Dublin North-East constituency, but was then elected on 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 ...

to the 15th Seanad. At the February 1982 Dáil election he stood again in Dublin North-East, winning a seat in the 23rd Dáil Éireann. He retained his seat at the November 1982 general election, but was defeated at the 1987 general election. He stood again in Dublin North-East at the 1989 general election, and in Dublin South at the 1992 general election but never returned to the Dáil. After his 1987 defeat he was elected to the 18th Seanad, again on the Cultural and Educational Panel, and was re-elected three more times until he did not contest the 2002 election to the 22nd Seanad, when Fine Gael chose not to nominate him. After the 2002 general election Manning had initially announced his intention to stand down, but when Enda Kenny was elected as party leader, he stayed on. However following the loss of 20 Dáil seats in 2002, the party's nominating committee chose to prioritise candidates who could challenge for Dáil seats at the next election, and he was not nominated. It was reported that this may have been related to a dispute with the Fine Gael Chairman, Senator Pádraic McCormack, whom Manning had threatened to challenge for the chairmanship. In the early 1980s Manning was a member of the New Ireland Forum and later of the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly. He served as Leader of the Seanad from 1995 to 1997, and as Leader of the Opposition in the Seanad from 1997 to 2002.

Human Rights Commission

As president of the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC), he represented it from October 2006 in two successive two-year terms when the IHRC has chaired the European Group of National Human Rights Institutions. The IHRC has also represented the European Group within the Bureau of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, the global network of NHRIs closely associated with the

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is a department of the United Nations Secretariat that works to promote and protect human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Univers ...

. In 2012, with plans announced to merge the IHRC with the Equality Authority, it was expected that Manning would be appointed as the first head of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission; however, he did not receive that appointment.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manning, Maurice 1943 births Living people Academics of University College Dublin Members of Dublin City Council Fine Gael TDs Members of the 15th Seanad Members of the 23rd Dáil Members of the 24th Dáil Members of the 18th Seanad Members of the 19th Seanad Members of the 20th Seanad Members of the 21st Seanad Politicians from County Carlow People educated at Rockwell College Alumni of University College Dublin Alumni of the University of Strathclyde Fine Gael senators Chancellors of the National University of Ireland Cultural and Educational Panel senators