Recalling the Mayo politicians who graced ministerial office

By Tom Gillespie

SIXTEEN TDs who represented Mayo constituencies have held ministerial portfolios down the years.

The shortest reign in office was a mere 38 days for Deputy Dara Calleary as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

He was forced to resign on August 21, 2020, because of his role in the Oireachtas Golf Society scandal, having been appointed to the position on July 15 of the same year.

However, he was later appointed Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Joseph McGrath (1888 to 1966) was born in Dublin and became an accountant for the ITGWU trade union and took part in the 1916 Rising.

He was first elected in 1918 in Dublin and later for Cumann na nGaedheal in North Mayo in 1923. He was Minister for Labour and Minister for Industry and Commerce in the Provisional Government of 1922.

He was also Minister for Industry and Commerce in the Free State Executive Council from 1922 to '24, when he resigned to pursue a successful career as director of labour on the Shannon Hydroelecrtic Scheme and a founder of Waterford Glass, Donegal Carpets and the Irish Sweepstakes.

James Fitzgerald-Kenney (1877 to 1956) of Clogher House, Claremorris, was called to the Bar in 1899 and later became King’s Counsel. He was elected as a Cumann na nGeadheal TD for South Mayo from 1927 to 1944. He was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Justice in 1927 and Minister for Justice from 1927 to 1932.

Patrick Joseph Ruttledge (1892 to 1952) from Ballina was elected a Sinn Fein TD for Mayo North in 1921. He was elected anti-Treaty and Republican TD for Mayo North in 1922 and 1923.

He was chairman of Ballina Urban District Council (UDC) between 1919 and 1932 and chairman of Mayo County Council from 1922 to 1926.

Ruttledge was Minister for Lands and Fisheries in 1932, Minister for Justice from 1933 to 1939, and Minister fort Local Government and Public Health from 1939 to 1941.

Belcarra-born Joseph Blowick was a farmer who became leader of Clann na Talmhan in 1944. He was elected TD for Mayo South in 1943 and reelected in every subsequent election until 1965. He was Minister for Lands from 1948 to 1951 and from 1954 to 1957.

Patrick J. Lindsay (1914 to 1993) from Geesala, Belmullet, was called to the Bar in 1946. He was elected for Fine Gael (FG) in the South Mayo constituency in 1954 and 1957.

He was Master of the High Court from 1975 to 1984. He was Parliamentary Secretary to the Department of the Gaeltacht and Education in 1956 and Minister for the Gaeltacht from 1956 to 1957.

Michael Ó Mórain (1912 to 1983) was born in Ross, Castlebar. He was first elected as a Fianna Fáil (FF) candidate in Mayo South in 1938 and in every subsequent election until 1973.

He was responsible for the decentralisation of the Department of Agriculture to Davitt House in Castlebar.

Ó Mórain was Minister for the Gaeltacht from 1957 to 1959, Minister for Lands 1959 to 1963 (and Gaeltacht from 1961 to 1968), and Minister for Justice from 1968 to 1970.

Sean Flanagan from Ballyhaunis captained the winning Mayo All-Ireland teams of 1950 and 1951.

He was elected as a FF TD for Mayo South in 1951 and subsequent elections until 1969, in which year he was elected for the new constituency of Mayo East and again in 1973. He was elected to the European Parliament for Connaught-Ulster in 1979.

Flanagan was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Commerce from 1965 to 1966, Minister for Health from 1966 to 1969, and Minister for Lands from 1969 to 1973.

Henry Kenny was a member of the Mayo All-Ireland winning team of 1936. He was elected a FG Deputy for South Mayo in 1954. The party had not held a seat there since 1944. He was re-elected in 1957, 1961 and 1965.

He was elected to the new constituency of Mayo West in 1969 and 1973. The by-election caused by his death in 1975 saw his son, Enda, elected. Henry was Parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Finance from 1973 to 1975.

Achill Island-born Denis Gallagher (1923 to 2001) unsuccessfully stood for Clann na Poblachta in Mayo North in 1954 but won a seat for FF in 1973 in the new Mayo West constituency.

He was Minister for the Gaeltacht from 1977 to 1979, Minister of State at the Department of Industry, Commerce and Tourism from 1980 to 1981, Minister of State at the Department of Social Welfare in 1982, and Minister of State at the Department of the Gaeltacht in 1987.

Sean Calleary, father of Dara, from Ballina, was first elected for FF for Mayo East in 1973 until 1992. He was Minister of State at the Department of Labour and Public Service from 1979 to 1981, Minister of State at the Department of Trade, Commerce and Tourism from October to December 1982, and Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for Overseas Aid in 1987 and reappointed in 1989.

Paddy O’Toole (1938-), also from Ballina, was first elected to the Dáil in 1977 as a FG candidate in 1977 for Mayo East. He lost his seat in the 1987 election. While a TD, he was responsible for the purchase for the State of the Moy Salmon Fishery.

He was Minister for the Gaeltacht from 1981 to 1982, Minister for the Gaeltacht, Forestry and Fisheries from 1982 to 1986, and Minister for Defence and the Gaeltacht from 1986 to 1987, with additional portfolios for Fisheries and Tourism from January to March of 1987.

Castlebar native Padraig Flynn (1937-) was first elected as a FF deputy in 1977 for Mayo West.

He was Minister of State at the Department of Transport and Power from 1980 to 1981, Minister for the Gaeltacht in 1982, Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism in 1982, Minister for the Environment 1987 to 1991, Minister fort Justice 1992, and Minister for Industry and Commerce in 1992.

He became a member of the European Parliament with responsibility for Social Affairs and Employment in 1993 and was reappointed from 1995 to 1998.

Enda Kenny (1951-) retained his father’s seat in 1975, served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, was Leader of FG from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence from May 2014 to July 2014 and 2016 to 2017, Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2011, Minister for Tourism and Trade from 1994 to 1997, and Minister of State for Youth Affairs from 1986 to 1987. He served as a TD for Mayo West from 1975 to 1997 and for Mayo from 1997 to 2020.

Jim Higgins (1945-), from Ballyhaunis, was first elected in 1987 as a FG representative for Mayo East. He was reelected to the Dáil in 1989, 1992 and 1997.

In 1994 he was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Finance. The following year he became Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and Defence as well as Chief Whip of the government.

In the 2004 European Parliament Election, Higgins was elected for the North-West constituency, and re-elected in 2009. He lost his seat at the 2014 election.

Tom Moffatt (1940-) is a former FF politician. He was first elected for the Mayo East constituency in 1992. He was re-elected in 1997 for the Mayo constituency.

He lost his seat at the 2002 general election. From July 1997 to June 2002 he served as Minister of State at the Department of Health.