Eileen Desmond
Encyclopedia
Eileen Desmond, née Harrington (29 December 1932 – 6 January 2005) was a senior Irish
Labour Party
politician. She served in the Dáil
and the Seanad
and the European Parliament
, and was Minister for Health & Social Welfare
from 1981 to 1982.
Eileen Desmond was born in Kinsale
, County Cork
, and educated locally at the Convent of Mercy in Kinsale, where she was one of only two girls in her class to sit the Leaving Certificate
examination. Before entering politics she worked as a civil servant with the Department of Posts & Telegraphs
.
Desmond was first elected to Dáil Éireann
in a by-election on 10 March 1965, caused by the death of her husband, Dan Desmond
, who had been a Teachta Dála
(TD) since 1948. Her by-election victory caused Taoiseach
Seán Lemass
to dissolve the 17th Dáil and call a general election. She was re-elected for the second time in a year, but lost her seat in the 1969 general election
. However, Desmond was elected to the 12th Seanad on the Industrial and Commercial Panel, where she served until her re-election to the 20th Dáil in the 1973 general election
.
Desmond was a hard-working politician. She was elected to the European Parliament in 1979 European elections
for the Munster
constituency. However, her time in Europe was short-lived as she returned to domestic politics when she was offered a position as Minister and the chance to impact upon national legislation. At the 1981 general election
a Fine Gael
–Labour Party
coalition came to power and Desmond was appointed Minister for Health & Social Welfare.
Her cabinet appointment was historic, as she was only the second woman to be a member of the cabinet since the foundation of the state in 1922. Countess Markievicz had had held the cabinet post of Minister for Labour
in the revolutionary First Dáil
in 1919, but no other woman had held been appointed to the cabinet until Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
was appointed as Minister for the Gaeltacht
in 1979.
Desmond retired from full time politics at the 1987 general election
, for health reasons. She died suddenly in 2005.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
politician. She served in the Dáil
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
and the Seanad
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...
and the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, and was Minister for Health & Social Welfare
Minister for Health and Children (Ireland)
The Minister for Health is the senior minister at the Department of Health in the Government of Ireland and is responsible for health care in the Republic of Ireland and related services.The current Minister for Health is James Reilly, TD...
from 1981 to 1982.
Eileen Desmond was born in Kinsale
Kinsale
Kinsale is a town in County Cork, Ireland. Located some 25 km south of Cork City on the coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon and has a population of 2,257 which increases substantially during the summer months when the tourist season is at its peak and...
, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, and educated locally at the Convent of Mercy in Kinsale, where she was one of only two girls in her class to sit the Leaving Certificate
Leaving Certificate
The Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...
examination. Before entering politics she worked as a civil servant with the Department of Posts & Telegraphs
Minister for Posts and Telegraphs (Ireland)
The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs was a senior post in the government of the Irish Free State and the Republic of Ireland from 1924 to 1984, when the post and the department was abolished....
.
Desmond was first elected to Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
in a by-election on 10 March 1965, caused by the death of her husband, Dan Desmond
Dan Desmond
"Dan" Desmond was an Irish Labour Party politician and Teachta Dála for seventeen years.Desmond first stood for election to Dáil Éireann at the 1944 general election, in the Cork South East constituency, where he was defeated, winning barely 5% of the first-preference votes...
, who had been a Teachta Dála
Teachta 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...
(TD) since 1948. Her by-election victory caused 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...
Seán Lemass
Seán Lemass
Seán Francis Lemass was one of the most prominent Irish politicians of the 20th century. He served as Taoiseach from 1959 until 1966....
to dissolve the 17th Dáil and call a general election. She was re-elected for the second time in a year, but lost her seat in the 1969 general election
Irish general election, 1969
The Irish general election of 1969 was held on 18 June 1969. The newly elected members of the 19th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 2 July when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed...
. However, Desmond was elected to the 12th Seanad on the Industrial and Commercial Panel, where she served until her re-election to the 20th Dáil in the 1973 general election
Irish general election, 1973
The Irish general election of 1973 was held on 28 February 1973. The newly elected 144 members of the 20th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 4 March when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
.
Desmond was a hard-working politician. She was elected to the European Parliament in 1979 European elections
European Parliament election, 1979
The 1979 European elections were parliamentary elections held across all 9 European Community member states. They were the first European elections to be held, allowing citizens to elect 410 MEPs to the European Parliament, and also the first international election in history.Seats in the...
for the Munster
Munster (European Parliament constituency)
-1999 election :All sitting MEPs were re-elected.-1994 election:The constituency lost a seat and T. J. Maher and Gene Fitzgerald retired...
constituency. However, her time in Europe was short-lived as she returned to domestic politics when she was offered a position as Minister and the chance to impact upon national legislation. At the 1981 general election
Irish general election, 1981
The Irish general election of 1981 was held on 11 June 1981, three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 21 May. The newly elected 166 members of the 22nd Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 30 June when a new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
a Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
–Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
coalition came to power and Desmond was appointed Minister for Health & Social Welfare.
Her cabinet appointment was historic, as she was only the second woman to be a member of the cabinet since the foundation of the state in 1922. Countess Markievicz had had held the cabinet post of Minister for Labour
Minister for Labour (Ireland)
The Minister for Labour was originally the name of a government department in the Government of the Irish Republic, the self-declared state which was established in 1919 by Dáil Éireann, the parliamentary assembly made up of the majority of Irish MPs elected in the 1918 general election. Constance...
in the revolutionary First Dáil
First Dáil
The First Dáil was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919–1921. In 1919 candidates who had been elected in the Westminster elections of 1918 refused to recognise the Parliament of the United Kingdom and instead assembled as a unicameral, revolutionary parliament called "Dáil Éireann"...
in 1919, but no other woman had held been appointed to the cabinet until Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn is an Irish politician, and is the current European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science. She previously served as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for the Galway West constituency from 1975 to 1997...
was appointed as Minister for the Gaeltacht
Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs
The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is a senior minister at the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is Frances Fitzgerald, TD.-Overview:...
in 1979.
Desmond retired from full time politics at the 1987 general election
Irish general election, 1987
The Irish general election of 1987 was held on 17 February 1987, four weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 20 January. The newly-elected 166 members of the 25th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 10 March when a new Taoiseach and government were appointed.The general election took place in...
, for health reasons. She died suddenly in 2005.