Don Lydon
Encyclopedia
Donal John Lydon is a psychologist and a former Irish
politician. He was a Fianna Fáil
member of Seanad Éireann
from 1987 to 2007, being elected on the Labour Panel.
, Letterkenny
, County Donegal
; University College Galway
; University College Dublin
and Trinity College, Dublin
. His Bachelors Degree was in Sociology and English and his postgraduate work was in the area of Education and Psychology. In addition Lydon has worked as a Consulting Psychologist. He was for a number of years non-executive director of Connsbrook Productions Limited and also a non-executive of Corona Holidays Limited in Dublin.
He has published a number of papers in professional journals mostly in the area of Alcoholism or Psychopathology in Adolescents.
He was the first Psychologist in Ireland to be awarded a Council of Europe Medical Fellowship in 1977 in order to go abroad to study “Residential Treatment of Disturbed Adolescents”.
from 1985 to 1993 and was a member of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
from 1994 to 2002. He was first elected to Seanad Éireann
in 1987 and was elected at all subsequent elections until his defeat at the 2007 election. He has at various times been the Senior Senate Spokesman on Justice, Senior Senate Spokesman on the Department of the Taoiseach
and European Affairs, Senior Senate Spokesman on European Affairs, and laterally held the position of Spokesman on Foreign Affairs with Special Responsibility for Overseas Development Assistance and Human Rights.
He has served as a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Women’s Rights, the Joint Services Committee, the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Social, Community & Family Affairs and was laterally a member of the Joint Parliamentary European Affairs Committee.
He famously grabbed the Green Party
TD Trevor Sargent
in a headlock when Sargent waved a cheque, sent to him by a builder, during a speech in the council chamber of Dublin Corporation in the 1990s.
Lydon was nominated as a candidate for the 23rd Seanad in 2007 and stood as a member of Fianna Fáil. His proposers included Senator Tom Morrissey
, former Fianna Fáil Senator Margaret Cox
and Fianna Fáil TD Ned O'Keeffe
. He lost his Seanad seat in the 2007 election.
He was a member of the Irish Council of the European Movement and served as Vice-Chairman from 1991-1993.He was also a member of both the Council and Executive of The Institute of European Affairs.
s, Senators and MEP
s were required to furnish to the Standards Commission
their Donations Statements and accompanying documentation each year. Any donations with a value exceeding €634.87 received during the year must be disclosed. The maximum value of donations which can be accepted from the same donor in the same calendar year is €2,539.48. Donations received from the same donor must be aggregated and regarded as a single donation for the purposes of the disclosure to the Standards Commission and maximum acceptance limits. TDs, Senators and MEPs are prohibited from accepting anonymous donations exceeding €126.97 or foreign donations of any value.
Lydon dislosed one donation over £500 to the Commission between 1997 and 2005. This was in respect of a political donation of £1,000 received in 1999 from Castlemarket Holdings Limited at the time of the Local Government election.
in November 1997. This Inquiry has uncovered evidence of politicians and former politicians accepting substantial donations from property developers which coincided with planning decisions that favoured the interests' of donors.
Lydon has been examined in the course of several modules of inquiry.
Lydon proposed the 11 November 1993 motion to Dublin County Council
that enabled the development proposed by Monarch Properties at Cherrywood, County Dublin and he was regarded as the main access to Fianna Fáil support for Monarch proposals. The motion was passed by 44 - 27 votes. A second motion favouring Monarch was signed by Lydon on 10 October 1994. Lydon admitted that he was the most prominent Fianna Fáil supporter of Monarch proposals at the Council.
for industrial use but that he accepted £3,000 three days after he, Lydon, signed the Council motion in 1992. These allegations were rejected totally by Lydon when he gave evidence on the basis that the two meetings mentioned by Dunlop did not take place. This evidence was supported by sworn evidence given by independent third parties confirming that Dunlop's allegations were false. Dunlop has since retracted two further allegations he made against Lydon but refused to apologise to Lydon for the damage these false allegations may have done to Lydon's reputation.
secured a freezing order from the High Court on 26 July 2007 based on its investigation of corruption
in respect of bribes allegedly paid to councillors by Frank Dunlop
to secure the rezoning on 16 December 1997 by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
of 107 acre (0.43301402 km²) of land assets owned by Jackson Way Properties at Carrickmines. This rezoning was investigated by The Mahon Tribunal
in 2003.
Lydon now stands charged with corruption following his district court appearance on Friday 22 October 2010 along with 3 other former FF councillors.
rate, despite living and working in Dublin. Lydon's yearly claim for travel and subsistence varied from €37,000 to €39,000 during the years 2004 to 2006, (in 2007 he claimed €24,000 as he only worked for 7 months). It has been reported that there will not be an investigation into his expenses as "there is no provision for looking into the expenses claims of former members of the Oireachtas"
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
politician. He was a Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
member of Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...
from 1987 to 2007, being elected on the Labour Panel.
Professional career
Lydon was educated at St. Eunan's CollegeSt. Eunan's College
Saint Eunan's College is an all-male voluntary secondary school. Located in Glencar, Letterkenny , County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland, the building is a three-storey castle with four round towers at each corner of the building. The school is named after the Abbot of Iona St...
, Letterkenny
Letterkenny
Letterkenny , with a population of 17,568, is the largest town in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. The town is located on the River Swilly...
, County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
; University College Galway
National University of Ireland, Galway
The National University of Ireland, Galway is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland...
; University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
and Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
. His Bachelors Degree was in Sociology and English and his postgraduate work was in the area of Education and Psychology. In addition Lydon has worked as a Consulting Psychologist. He was for a number of years non-executive director of Connsbrook Productions Limited and also a non-executive of Corona Holidays Limited in Dublin.
He has published a number of papers in professional journals mostly in the area of Alcoholism or Psychopathology in Adolescents.
He was the first Psychologist in Ireland to be awarded a Council of Europe Medical Fellowship in 1977 in order to go abroad to study “Residential Treatment of Disturbed Adolescents”.
Political career
He was a member of Dublin County CouncilDublin County Council
Dublin County Council was a local authority for the administrative county of County Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. It was established by the Local Government Act 1898....
from 1985 to 1993 and was a member of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is the local authority for the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown in Ireland. It is one of three local authorities that comprised the former Dublin County Council before its abolition and one of four councils in the Dublin Region. It serves a population of...
from 1994 to 2002. He was first elected to Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...
in 1987 and was elected at all subsequent elections until his defeat at the 2007 election. He has at various times been the Senior Senate Spokesman on Justice, Senior Senate Spokesman on the Department of the Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
and European Affairs, Senior Senate Spokesman on European Affairs, and laterally held the position of Spokesman on Foreign Affairs with Special Responsibility for Overseas Development Assistance and Human Rights.
He has served as a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Women’s Rights, the Joint Services Committee, the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Social, Community & Family Affairs and was laterally a member of the Joint Parliamentary European Affairs Committee.
He famously grabbed the Green Party
Green Party (Ireland)
The Green Party is a green political party in Ireland. It was founded as the Ecology Party of Ireland in 1981 by Dublin teacher Christopher Fettes. The party became the Green Alliance in 1983 and in 1987 was renamed to its current title in English...
TD Trevor Sargent
Trevor Sargent
Trevor Sargent is an Irish Green Party politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North constituency from 1992 to 2011...
in a headlock when Sargent waved a cheque, sent to him by a builder, during a speech in the council chamber of Dublin Corporation in the 1990s.
Lydon was nominated as a candidate for the 23rd Seanad in 2007 and stood as a member of Fianna Fáil. His proposers included Senator Tom Morrissey
Tom Morrissey
Tom Morrissey is an Irish politician and former member of Seanad Éireann. He was nominated by the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern to the 22nd Seanad in 2002 as a member of the now defunct Progressive Democrats. He was subsequently appointed to the Progressive Democrats Front Bench as Transportation...
, former Fianna Fáil Senator Margaret Cox
Margaret Cox
Margaret Cox is an Irish politician and former Senator.-Electoral history:She entered politics having been co-opted onto the Galway City Council in 1995, following the death of her father Tom Cox...
and Fianna Fáil TD Ned O'Keeffe
Ned O'Keeffe
Edward "Ned" O'Keeffe is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He served as a Teachta Dála for the Cork East constituency from 1982 to 2011....
. He lost his Seanad seat in the 2007 election.
He was a member of the Irish Council of the European Movement and served as Vice-Chairman from 1991-1993.He was also a member of both the Council and Executive of The Institute of European Affairs.
Donations disclosed to Standards Commission
Teachta DálaTeachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
s, Senators and MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
s were required to furnish to the Standards Commission
Standards in Public Office Commission
The Standards in Public Office Commission is an independent body established in December 2001 by the Irish Government under the Standards in Public Office Act, 2001...
their Donations Statements and accompanying documentation each year. Any donations with a value exceeding €634.87 received during the year must be disclosed. The maximum value of donations which can be accepted from the same donor in the same calendar year is €2,539.48. Donations received from the same donor must be aggregated and regarded as a single donation for the purposes of the disclosure to the Standards Commission and maximum acceptance limits. TDs, Senators and MEPs are prohibited from accepting anonymous donations exceeding €126.97 or foreign donations of any value.
Lydon dislosed one donation over £500 to the Commission between 1997 and 2005. This was in respect of a political donation of £1,000 received in 1999 from Castlemarket Holdings Limited at the time of the Local Government election.
The Mahon Tribunal
The Mahon Tribunal, previously known as The Flood Tribunal is a Tribunal of Inquiry Into Certain Planning Matters and Payments. It was established by the Irish GovernmentIrish Government
The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...
in November 1997. This Inquiry has uncovered evidence of politicians and former politicians accepting substantial donations from property developers which coincided with planning decisions that favoured the interests' of donors.
Lydon has been examined in the course of several modules of inquiry.
Lydon proposed the 11 November 1993 motion to Dublin County Council
Dublin County Council
Dublin County Council was a local authority for the administrative county of County Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. It was established by the Local Government Act 1898....
that enabled the development proposed by Monarch Properties at Cherrywood, County Dublin and he was regarded as the main access to Fianna Fáil support for Monarch proposals. The motion was passed by 44 - 27 votes. A second motion favouring Monarch was signed by Lydon on 10 October 1994. Lydon admitted that he was the most prominent Fianna Fáil supporter of Monarch proposals at the Council.
Lead Councillor
- Bill O'Herlihy a public relations consultant retained by Monarch Properties in 1991, told the Tribunal on 7 June 2006 that he was told by Mr. Richard Lynn in the bar of the Royal Dublin hotel that members of Dublin County Council were alleged to pocket £50,000 per year in return for favourable planning decisions. This 'hearsay evidence' indicated that transaction process involved a property developer developing a bilateral relationship with a lead councillor. The lead councillor would then determine with colleagues what exactly was required to secure a particular vote on a planning or rezoning matter. The lead councillor cited by O'Herlihy in respect of Monarch's interests was Lydon. Lynn told the Tribunal that he had never told this to O'Herlihy and stated that he was not in the Royal Dublin at the time specified by O'Herlihy but was actually at a meeting of Dublin County Council. This appears to have been confirmed by Dunlop's evidence to the Tribunal.
- Lydon, in evidence, on 19 July 2006 also disputed O'Herlihy's allegation but did acknowledge that Monarch Properties used to take large numbers of councillors to restaurants "all over the place" when planning decisions in respect of Cherrywood were pending and that he proposed a Monarch related motion on 27 May 1992.
- Lydon told the Tribunal on 19 July 2006 that the allegations made against him had damaged his chances of getting elected for a sixth term to the Seanad.
- It was accepted on Lydon's behalf on 25 July that a Tribunal has the discretion to accept hearsay evidence in the common good.
- The Tribunal has been requested to rule on the admissibility of O'Herlihy's hearsay evidence which it did on 27 July noting that Lydon had been afforded an opportunity to challenging such evidence, which he has already done.
Evidence to Fianna Fáil inquiry
- Lydon admitted to the Tribunal that evidence he presented to a Fianna FáilFianna FáilFianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
internal inquiry in 2000 into payments received was "wrong" He told that inquiry that he received payments of £400 to £500 from Monarch Properties at the time of the 1991 and 1999 local elections as well as a contribution of £1,000 towards his 1993 Seanad election campaign. He told The Mahon Tribunal that he had in fact received £600 1991; £2,500 in 1992/92 and £450 in 1999 from this source. He also received an unsolicited political donation £1,000 from Monarch lobbyist Frank DunlopFrank DunlopFrank Dunlop is an Irish lobbyist and former broadcast journalist with Raidió Teilifís Éireann . Originally from County Kilkenny, he is a key witness to the Mahon Tribunal which is investigating improper payments by property developers to Irish politicians and will be a key witness in pending...
in 1992/93 for the Senate campaign and a political donation of £250 in 1999 for the Local Government election campaign.
- Lydon neglected to disclose to the Inquiry, until his attention was drawn to this on 1 May 2003, that he received £5,000 from a developer in a pub in Goatstown in 1992 because the Inquiry "never asked him about these things". Lydon subsequently proposed a rezoning motion in respect of lands in County Dublin owned by this donor. He also neglected to disclose this money to the internal Fianna Fáil inquiry, details of which were to be forwarded to the Tribunal, nor did he seek to correct his evidence subsequently and he did not consider that his failure to do so adversely impacted his reputation.
Seven Election contests, one fund raising event
- Lydon only held one fund-raising event in respect of the 7 elections he contested. This took place in 1991 at The Goat Grill from which a couple of hundred pounds were raised. He explains "I was very lucky, people gave me a lot of money" and that he would take money from anybody "except gangsters" if it helped him retain his elected positions. He was never bothered about the perception associated with accepting money and the consequential impact of his vote on planning and rezoning decisions.
Lobbyists' role: 'Keep councillors happy'
- Lydon confirmed in response to the Tribunal that he received no donations, benefits, gifts or assistance from, or o behalf of developers, connected to decisions relating to Quarryvale, west Dublin. He viewed the function of lobbyists as one of keeping councillor happy - that is buy them drinks, meals and send them money at election time.
- Following the establishment of the Tribunal, Frank DunlopFrank DunlopFrank Dunlop is an Irish lobbyist and former broadcast journalist with Raidió Teilifís Éireann . Originally from County Kilkenny, he is a key witness to the Mahon Tribunal which is investigating improper payments by property developers to Irish politicians and will be a key witness in pending...
stated in sworn evidence that he met Lydon in the car park of St John of Gods Hospital and that the Tribunal were taping telephones and that he, Dunlop, should be careful about what he said on the telephone about people, particularly politicians. This was absolutely rejected by Lydon as being totally false when he gave evidence to the Tribunal.
Carrickmines rezoning
Dunlop told the Tribunal in May 2003 that Lydon asked Dunlop for a £5,000 bribe to rezone 108 acre (0.43706088 km²) at Jackson Way, Carrickmines, County DublinCounty Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
for industrial use but that he accepted £3,000 three days after he, Lydon, signed the Council motion in 1992. These allegations were rejected totally by Lydon when he gave evidence on the basis that the two meetings mentioned by Dunlop did not take place. This evidence was supported by sworn evidence given by independent third parties confirming that Dunlop's allegations were false. Dunlop has since retracted two further allegations he made against Lydon but refused to apologise to Lydon for the damage these false allegations may have done to Lydon's reputation.
Criminal Assets Bureau investigation
The Criminal Assets BureauCriminal Assets Bureau
The Criminal Assets Bureau is a law enforcement agency in Ireland, the purpose of which is to recover the proceeds of organised crime. It is a division of the Garda , but reports annually to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform...
secured a freezing order from the High Court on 26 July 2007 based on its investigation of corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
in respect of bribes allegedly paid to councillors by Frank Dunlop
Frank Dunlop
Frank Dunlop is an Irish lobbyist and former broadcast journalist with Raidió Teilifís Éireann . Originally from County Kilkenny, he is a key witness to the Mahon Tribunal which is investigating improper payments by property developers to Irish politicians and will be a key witness in pending...
to secure the rezoning on 16 December 1997 by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is the local authority for the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown in Ireland. It is one of three local authorities that comprised the former Dublin County Council before its abolition and one of four councils in the Dublin Region. It serves a population of...
of 107 acre (0.43301402 km²) of land assets owned by Jackson Way Properties at Carrickmines. This rezoning was investigated by The Mahon Tribunal
The Mahon Tribunal
The Tribunal of Inquiry Into Certain Planning Matters and Payments, commonly known as the Mahon Tribunal, is a public inquiry in Ireland established by Dáil Éireann in 1997 to investigate allegations of corrupt payments to politicians regarding political decisions...
in 2003.
Lydon now stands charged with corruption following his district court appearance on Friday 22 October 2010 along with 3 other former FF councillors.
Senate Expense Claims
In 2004, Lydon changed his place of residence from Dublin to Donegal to qualify for a different travel and subsistenceTravel and subsistence
Travel and subsistence expenses describe the cost of spending on business travel, meals, hotels, sundry items such as laundry and similar ad hoc expenditures....
rate, despite living and working in Dublin. Lydon's yearly claim for travel and subsistence varied from €37,000 to €39,000 during the years 2004 to 2006, (in 2007 he claimed €24,000 as he only worked for 7 months). It has been reported that there will not be an investigation into his expenses as "there is no provision for looking into the expenses claims of former members of the Oireachtas"