Noël Browne
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Noël Christopher Browne (20 December 1915 – 21 May 1997) was an Irish politician who served as
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 1948 to 1951 and Leader of the National Progressive Democrats from 1958 to 1963. He was 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 1948 to 1954, 1957 to 1973 and 1977 to 1982, and held a
Senate 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 ...
seat for the Dublin University constituency from 1973 to 1977. He holds the distinction of being one of only seven TDs to be appointed to the cabinet on the start of their first term in the Dáil. As Minister for Health, Browne is credited with waging a successful total war on
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
. However, his attempt to implement the Mother and Child Scheme in effect brought down the First Inter-Party Government of
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 ...
John A. Costello in 1951 and remains one of the greatest political controversies in modern Irish political history. Browne was a well-known but at times, controversial, public representative and managed to be a TD for five political parties (two of which he co-founded), as well as an
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
TD. These were Clann na Poblachta (resigned),
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 ...
(expelled), National Progressive Democrats (co-founder), Labour Party (resigned) and the Socialist Labour Party (co-founder). Browne is widely acknowledged to have had a propensity for grudges and feuds. However, he is also widely credited as being a progressive force in Ireland who advocated against corporal punishment and apartheid while supporting contraceptives, abortion and the
LGBT community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ people, LGBTQ individuals united by LGBTQ culture, a common culture and LGBTQ movements, social movements. These Community, comm ...
many decades before those positions became mainstream.


Early life and career

Noël Browne was born at Bath Street in
Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
, but grew up in the Bogside area of
Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...
. The Browne family also lived 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 ...
and Ballinrobe for a period of time. His mother Mary Therese (née Cooney) was born in 1885 in Hollymount,
County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...
; a plaque has been erected there in her memory. His father Joseph Brown, an RIC sergeant, later worked as an inspector for the
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity founded as the Liverpool Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (LSPCC) by Thomas Agnew on 19 April 1883. The NSPCC lobbies t ...
and, partly as a result of this work, all of the Browne family became infected with
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
. Both parents died of the disease during the 1920s; his father was the first to die, leaving only £100 behind to support his wife and seven children. Fearing that if she and the children remained in Ireland that they would be forced into a
workhouse In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as Scottish poorhouse, poorh ...
, Mary (already by this point dying of TB) sold every possession the Brownes had and took the family to
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, England. Within two days of their arrival, Mary was dead, later buried in a pauper's grave. Of her seven children, six contracted tuberculosis. Noël was only one of two Browne children to survive into adulthood after those bouts with TB. The only sibling who survived with him was his brother Jody, who developed both a
hunchback Kyphosis () is an abnormally excessive convex curvature of the spine as it occurs in the thoracic and sacral regions. Abnormal inward concave ''lordotic'' curving of the cervical and lumbar regions of the spine is called lordosis. It can ...
and a
cleft palate A cleft lip contains an opening in the upper lip that may extend into the nose. The opening may be on one side, both sides, or in the middle. A cleft palate occurs when the palate (the roof of the mouth) contains an opening into the nose. The ...
. Because of Jody's conditions, Noël described Jody as "completely unwanted" by society, which led his sister to commit Jody to a workhouse. There, Jody later died on an operating table when, in Noël's own words, a doctor performed "experimental" plastic surgery on Jody. Jody too was buried in a pauper's grave. In 1929, he was admitted free of charge to St Anthony's, a preparatory school in
Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...
. He then won a scholarship to
Beaumont College Beaumont College was between 1861 and 1967 a Public school (UK), public school in Old Windsor, Old Windsor in Berkshire. Founded and run by the Society of Jesus, it offered a Roman Catholic public school education in rural surroundings, while l ...
, the
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
public school near Old Windsor,
Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
, where he befriended Neville Chance, a wealthy boy from Dublin. Neville, son of surgeon Sir Arthur Gerard Chance, subsequently paid Browne's way through medical school at
Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...
. In 1940, while still a student, Browne suffered a serious relapse of tuberculosis. His treatment at a
sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often in a health ...
in
Midhurst Midhurst () is a market town and civil parish in the Chichester District in West Sussex, England. It lies on the River Rother (Western), River Rother, inland from the English Channel and north of Chichester. The name Midhurst was first reco ...
,
Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
, was paid for by the Chance family. He recovered, passed his medical exams in 1942, and started his career as a medical intern at Dr Steevens' Hospital in Dublin, where he worked under Bethel Solomons He subsequently worked in numerous sanatoria throughout Ireland and England, witnessing the ravages of the disease. He soon concluded that politics was the only way in which he could make an attack on the scourge of tuberculosis.


Entry into politics

The poverty and tragedy that had shaped Browne's childhood deeply affected him. He considered both his survival and his level of education a complete fluke, a stroke of random chance that saved him when he was seemingly destined to die unknown and in poverty like the rest of his family. Browne found this completely distasteful and was moved to enter politics as a means to ensure no one else would suffer the same fate that had befallen his family. Browne joined the new
Irish republican Irish republicanism () is the political movement for an Irish republic, void of any British rule. Throughout its centuries of existence, it has encompassed various tactics and identities, simultaneously elective and militant and has been both w ...
party Clann na Poblachta and was 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 ...
for the Dublin South-East constituency at the 1948 general election. To the surprise of many, party leader Seán MacBride chose Browne to be one of the party's two ministers in the new government. Browne became one of the few TDs appointed a Minister on their first day in Dáil Éireann, when he was appointed
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 ...
.


Minister for Health

A
White paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. Since the 199 ...
on proposed healthcare reforms had been prepared by the previous government and resulted in the 1947 Health Act. In February 1948, Browne became Minister for Health and started the reforms advocated by the Paper and introduced by the Act. The health reforms coincided with the development of a new vaccine and of new drugs (e.g. BCG and
penicillin Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of beta-lactam antibiotic, β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' Mold (fungus), moulds, principally ''Penicillium chrysogenum, P. chrysogenum'' and ''Penicillium rubens, P. ru ...
) that helped to treat a previously untreatable group of medical conditions. Browne introduced mass free screening for tuberculosis sufferers and launched a huge construction programme to build new hospitals and sanitoria, financed by the income and accumulated investments from the
Health Department A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entity, Subnational entities, such as State (administrative division), states, county, counties an ...
-controlled Hospital Sweeps funds. This, along with the introduction of
Streptomycin Streptomycin is an antibiotic medication used to treat a number of bacterial infections, including tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium complex, ''Mycobacterium avium'' complex, endocarditis, brucellosis, Burkholderia infection, ''Burkholderia'' i ...
, helped dramatically reduce the incidence of tuberculosis in Ireland. As Minister for Health Browne came into conflict with the bishops of the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
and the medical profession over the Mother and Child Scheme. This plan, also introduced by the 1947 Health Act, provided free state-funded healthcare for all mothers and children aged under 16, with no
means test A means test is a determination of whether an individual or family is eligible for government benefits, assistance or welfare, based upon whether the individual or family possesses the means to do with less or none of that help. Means testing is ...
, a move which was regarded as radical at the time in Ireland, but not in the rest of
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. Virtually all doctors in private practice opposed the scheme, because it would undermine the "fee for service" model on which their income depended. The Church hierarchy, which controlled many hospitals, vigorously opposed the expansion of "socialised medicine" in the Republic of Ireland (though they never objected to its provision via the British National Health Service in Northern Ireland). They claimed that the Mother and Child Scheme interfered with parental rights and feared that the provision of non-religious medical advice to mothers would lead to
birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...
contrary to Catholic teaching. They greatly disliked Browne, seeing him as a "Trinity Catholic" (one who had defied the Church's ruling that the faithful should not attend Trinity College Dublin, which had been founded by Protestants and for many years did not allow Catholics to study there). Under pressure from bishops, the coalition government backed away from the Mother and Child Scheme and forced Browne's resignation as Minister for Health. He gave his version of events in his resignation speech to the Dáil on 12 April 1951. In particular, he deplored that the government had referred his Scheme to the Church for approval, taking care to describe it to the Church as his plan and not as government policy, giving him no option but to resign as Minister. The
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 ...
, John A. Costello, immediately retorted that "I have seldom listened to a statement in which there were so many — let me say it as charitably as possible — inaccuracies, misstatements and misrepresentations", and delivered his full reply several hours later. Following his departure from government, Browne embarrassed his opponents by arranging for ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
'' to publish Costello's and MacBride's correspondence with the Catholic hierarchy, which detailed their capitulation to the bishops. The controversy over the Mother and Child Scheme led to the fall of the coalition government in which Browne had served as a Minister. But Church opposition to "socialised medicine" continued under the subsequent
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 ...
-led government. The hierarchy would not accept a no-means-test mother-and-infant scheme even when Fianna Fáil reduced the age limit from sixteen years to six weeks, and the government again backed down.


Later political career

After his resignation as Minister for Health, Browne left Clann na Poblachta, but was re-elected to the Dáil as an
Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
TD from Dublin South-East in the subsequent election. Browne joined Fianna Fáil in 1953, but lost his Dáil seat at the 1954 general election. He failed to be selected as a candidate for the 1957 general election and he resigned from the party. He was re-elected at that election for Dublin South-East as an Independent TD. In 1958, he founded the National Progressive Democrats with Jack McQuillan. Browne held on to his seat at the 1961 general election, but in 1963, he and McQuillan joined the Labour Party, disbanding the National Progressive Democrats. However, Browne lost his seat at the 1965 general election. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Browne became a vocal opponent of
Apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English:  , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...
in South Africa; In 1970 Browne was amongst those who protested outside Thomond Park in Limerick and
Lansdowne Road Lansdowne Road Stadium (, ) was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) that was primarily used for rugby union and association football matches. The stadium was demolished in 2007 to make way for the Aviva Stadium on ...
in Dublin when Ireland played the South African rugby team. Browne publicly called for a "progressively expanding boycott on the importation of South African produce, as advocated by the ANC". He was re-elected as a Labour Party TD at the 1969 general election, again for Dublin South-East. He did not seek a nomination by the Labour Party for the 1973 general election, but instead won a seat in
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 ...
for Dublin University. He remained in the Seanad until the 1977 general election, when he gained the Dublin Artane seat as an Independent Labour TD, having again failed to get the Party nomination. In 1977 Browne was the first Irish parliamentarian to call for law reforms in regards to homosexuality, which was illegal at the time, and in 1979 was one of the few Irish politicians to attend the opening of the Hirschfeld Centre, Dublin's first full-time LGBT community space. In 2021
Leo Varadkar Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2017 to 2020 and from 2022 to 2024, as Tánaiste from 2020 to 2022, and as leader of Fine Gael from 2017 to 2024. A Teachta Dála, ...
suggested that during Browne's time in the Seanad, Browne was the first 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 ...
to ever to advocate for therapeutic legal abortion. Upon its formation, Browne joined the new Socialist Labour Party and was briefly its only TD, securing election for Dublin North-Central at the 1981 general election. Browne retired from politics at the February 1982 general election.


Offer of presidential candidacy

Dick Spring, the Labour Party leader, had made clear early in January 1990 his conviction that there should be a contest for the presidency and even offered to stand himself if no other candidate was forthcoming for the presidential election. While Spring tried to enlist
Mary Robinson Mary Therese Winifred Robinson (; ; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish politician who served as the president of Ireland from December 1990 to September 1997. She was the country's first female president. Robinson had previously served as a senato ...
, a barrister and former senator, she initially was reluctant to rejoin the party. Browne became an apparent second candidate to consider. Almost immediately, those around Spring were "appalled" at the idea of running Browne, believing he had "little or no respect for the party" and "was likely in any event to self-destruct as a candidate." Spring was determined to move quickly and got the Parliamentary Labour Party to endorse a proposal of having Robinson for consideration at its meeting on April 4. 22 days later, Browne's candidacy was defeated at a joint meeting of the PLP and Labour's Administrative Council on a reported margin of "at least 4:1." When Spring informed Browne by telephone that the party's Administrative Council had chosen Robinson over him, Browne hung up the telephone. During the campaign he also indicated support for the rival
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 ...
candidate,
Austin Currie Joseph Austin Currie (11 October 1939 – 9 November 2021) was an Irish politician who served as a Minister of State with responsibility for Children's Rights from 1994 to 1997. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin West constituency ...
. Robinson would go on to win the election, thus becoming the seventh
President of Ireland The president of Ireland () is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The presidency is a predominantly figurehead, ceremonial institution, serving as ...
. Browne spent the remaining seven years of his life constantly criticising her, whether that involved calling the presidency an "impotent, titular post" or reacting to Robinson placing a symbolic lamp in the window of her official residence upon election (as a reminder of all of those forced to leave Ireland to seek work) in a letter to family by stating, "May one grieving Irish family, among those bidding farewell and those left behind, tell our roving president her fatuous, low-watt, low-powered, `cheapest available, warmly welcoming electrical' candle brought no comfort to our diaspora and could now, permanently, be switched off."


Personality

Few figures in 20th-century Ireland were as controversial as Noël Browne. To his supporters he was a dynamic liberal who stood up to conservative and reactionary Catholicism. To his opponents he was an unstable, temperamental and difficult individual who was the author of most of his own misfortune. Browne further alienated the middle ground in 1986, with the publishing of his autobiography ''Against the Tide'', which became what the ''Irish Times'' called a "publishing sensation" and sold over 80,000 copies in short order. Historians like Dr. Ruth Barrington, who had written extensively about Irish health policy and had access to the files from the 1940s and 1950s, questioned the book's reliability. Writing a decade later, one of the chief officials of the Labour Party, Fergus Finlay, said Browne had developed into a "bad tempered and curmudgeonly old man". Historian and political scientist Maurice Manning wrote that Browne "had the capacity to inspire fierce loyalty, but many of those who worked with and against him over the years found him difficult, self-centred, unwilling to accept the good faith of his opponents and often profoundly unfair in his intolerance of those who disagreed with him". However, some of this alleged "difficulty" arose from the fact that Browne was deaf in one ear from an infection. A riposte to these depictions appeared in 2000, based on a much earlier extensive interview with Browne.Kurt Jacobsen, “A Séance with Noel Browne.” ''Sunday Tribune''. 31 December 2000. Reconfigured from "An Interview with Dr. Noel Browne" ''Journal of Irish Literature'' May 1978. After retiring from politics, Browne moved with his wife Phyllis to
Baile na hAbhann Baile na hAbhann, anglicised as Ballynahown, is a Gaeltacht village about west of Galway, Ireland, on the R336 road (Ireland), R336 Regional road (Ireland), regional road between Inverin, Indreabhán and Casla. The name means "town of the rive ...
,
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, where he died on 21 May 1997, aged 81.


Legacy

In a 2010
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, ...
public poll, he came in the top 10 of Ireland's Greatest. In 2021
Leo Varadkar Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2017 to 2020 and from 2022 to 2024, as Tánaiste from 2020 to 2022, and as leader of Fine Gael from 2017 to 2024. A Teachta Dála, ...
gave a dedicated lecture on Browne to students of
Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...
, in which he summarised Browne's career. Varadkar noted Browne's cantankerous reputation but generally praised Browne, with Varadkar stating that he always "admired his idealism, his passion, and his determination to stand up for the causes and the people he believed in".


References


Sources

* Noël Browne, ''Against the Tide'', Gill & Macmillan, . * Ruth Barrington, ''Health, Medicine and Politics in Ireland 1900-1970'', Institute of Public Administration, 1987, . * Fergus Finlay, ''Snakes and Ladders'', New Island Books, 1998, . *Kurt Jacobsen, "An Interview with Dr Noel Browne" in ''Maverick Voices: Conversations with Political and Cultural Rebels.'' Rowman & Littlefield, 2004. * Gabriel Kelly et al. (eds), ''Irish Social Policy in Context'', UCD Press, 1999, . * Maurice Manning, ''James Dillon: A Biography'', Wolfhound Press, 2000, . * Lorna Siggins, ''The Woman Who Took Power in the Park'', Mainstream Publishing, 1997, . * John Horgan, ''Noël Browne: Passionate Outsider'', Gill & Macmillan, 2000, . {{DEFAULTSORT:Browne, Noel 1915 births 1997 deaths 20th-century Irish medical doctors Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Anti-apartheid activists Clann na Poblachta TDs Fianna Fáil TDs Irish abortion-rights activists Irish birth control activists Irish LGBTQ rights activists Independent TDs Labour Party (Ireland) TDs Members of Seanad Éireann for Dublin University Members of the 13th Dáil Members of the 13th Seanad Members of the 14th Dáil Members of the 16th Dáil Members of the 17th Dáil Members of the 19th Dáil Members of the 21st Dáil Members of the 22nd Dáil Ministers for health of Ireland National Progressive Democrats TDs Politicians from County Waterford Politicians from Derry (city) Medical doctors from County Waterford Medical doctors from Derry (city) Socialist Labour Party (Ireland) TDs