Katharine Bulbulia
Encyclopedia
Katharine Bulbulia is a former politician from County Waterford
in Ireland
. She was a Fine Gael
senator
from 1981 to 1989, and subsequently joined the Progressive Democrats
(PDs), serving from 1997 to 2006 as a senior aide to the party's leader.
She is now director of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency, a government-sponsored body planning and co-ordinating body established to formulate and implement a strategy to address the issue of crisis pregnancy in Ireland. She currently also sits as member of the AWEPA
Governing Council.
, Dublin (now the College of Catering of the Dublin Institute of Technology
). She subsequently graduated from University College Dublin
with a Bachelor of Arts
degree (BA) and a Higher Diploma in Education (H.Dip.Ed), before working as a teacher.
She is married to Dr Abdul Bulbulia, a general practitioner
in Waterford. They have one daughter and two sons.
in the late 1970s, when the party's leader Garret FitzGerald
was encouraging more women to join. She stood as a Fine Gael candidate for Tramore in the 1979 local elections, where she topped the poll and became the first woman ever elected to Waterford County Council
. She was later elected as well to Waterford City Council
, and served from 1979 as a member of the South-Eastern Health Board. On the Health Board, she fought to overturn the blocking by local officials of the distribution of a book called The Book of the Child, published by Ireland's Health Education Bureau, because it included a page about contraception.
Bulbulia then stood unsuccessfully as a Fine Gael candidate for the Waterford constituency
at three general elections: 1981
, November 1982, and 1989
. After her 1981 defeat, she was elected to the 15th Seanad Éireann on the Administrative Panel, and re-elected three times until her defeat at the 1989 election to the 19th Seanad.
Martin Cullen
the Progressive Democrats TD for Waterford, defected to Fianna Fáil
after the a dispute over candidate selection for the 1994 European Parliament election
, and Bulbulia then joined the PDs. She stood as the PD candidate in Waterford at the 1997 general election
, but again failed to win a seat. However, the Rainbow coalition
government was defeated in the election, and a new coalition government
was formed between Fianna Fáil
and the Progressive Democrats. Bulbulia was appointed as programme manager to the Tánaiste
, PD leader Mary Harney
, a post she held for nine years until Harney was replaced as leader in September 2006 by Michael McDowell
. The job, which carried at the end a salary of €140,000 a year, involved daily liaison with the Taoiseach's programme manager, Gerry Hickey. That working relationship formed the main channel of communication between the two parties in the coalition. Bulbulia also played an important role in communicating with other members of the PD parliamentary party about the decisions taken at Government level.
Harney stayed on as Minister for Health
after resigning the party leadership, and in November 2006 she appointed Bulbulia as chair of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency. The previous week, her husband Abdul had been appointed to a new Government technical advisory group on HIV/AIDS and other global communicable diseases. He had previously been appointed by Brian Cowen
(Harney's predecessor as Minister for Health) as a member of the Ireland Medical Council, where he initiated moves which led in 2001 to a softening of the Council's guidelines on abortion.
Her appointment was criticised by the pro-life
Family and Life group, who condemned Bulbulia for having opposed the 1983 pro-life amendment
to the Constitution of Ireland
. The following year the agency came into conflict with the Catholic pregnancy counselling agency CURA, when it refused to renew CURA
County Waterford
*Abbeyside, Affane, Aglish, Annestown, An Rinn, Ardmore*Ballinacourty, Ballinameela, Ballinamult, Ballinroad, Ballybeg, Ballybricken, Ballyduff Lower, Ballyduff Upper, Ballydurn, Ballygunner, Ballylaneen, Ballymacarbry, Ballymacart, Ballynaneashagh, Ballysaggart, Ballytruckle, Bilberry, Bunmahon,...
in Ireland
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,...
. She was 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...
senator
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 1981 to 1989, and subsequently joined the Progressive Democrats
Progressive Democrats
The Progressive Democrats , commonly known as the PDs, was a pro-free market liberal political party in the Republic of Ireland.Launched on 21 December 1985 by Desmond O'Malley and other politicians who had split from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the Progressive Democrats took liberal positions on...
(PDs), serving from 1997 to 2006 as a senior aide to the party's leader.
She is now director of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency, a government-sponsored body planning and co-ordinating body established to formulate and implement a strategy to address the issue of crisis pregnancy in Ireland. She currently also sits as member of the AWEPA
AWEPA
The Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa is an international non-governmental organisation founded by European Parliamentarians to reduce poverty and to protect human rights by supporting the well functioning of parliaments in Africa and by keeping Africa on the political agenda in...
Governing Council.
Early life and family
Bulbulia was born in Waterford, and educated locally and at the Sacred Heart of Mary convent in Waterford, before taking a diploma in household management at St. Mary's College in Cathal Brugha StreetCathal Brugha Street
Cathal Brugha Street is a street on the northside of Dublin, Ireland.-Location:The street runs eastward from the northern end of O'Connell Street , and runs 250 yards eastwards...
, Dublin (now the College of Catering of the Dublin Institute of Technology
Dublin Institute of Technology
Dublin Institute of Technology was established officially in 1992 under the but had been previously set up in 1978 on an ad-hoc basis. The institution can trace its origins back to 1887 with the establishment of various technical institutions in Dublin, Ireland...
). She subsequently graduated from 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...
with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree (BA) and a Higher Diploma in Education (H.Dip.Ed), before working as a teacher.
She is married to Dr Abdul Bulbulia, a general practitioner
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
in Waterford. They have one daughter and two sons.
Political career
A founder member of the Waterford branch of the Women's Political Association, Bulbulia joined Fine GaelFine 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...
in the late 1970s, when the party's leader Garret FitzGerald
Garret FitzGerald
Garret FitzGerald was an Irish politician who was twice Taoiseach of Ireland, serving in office from July 1981 to February 1982 and again from December 1982 to March 1987. FitzGerald was elected to Seanad Éireann in 1965 and was subsequently elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fine Gael TD in 1969. He...
was encouraging more women to join. She stood as a Fine Gael candidate for Tramore in the 1979 local elections, where she topped the poll and became the first woman ever elected to Waterford County Council
Waterford County Council
Waterford County Council is the local authority which is responsible for County Waterford in Ireland. The remit of Waterford County Council includes some suburbs of the Waterford city not within the remit of Waterford City Council. The Council is responsible for housing and community, roads and...
. She was later elected as well to Waterford City Council
Waterford City Council
Waterford City Council is the local authority which is responsible for the city of Waterford and its immediate hinterland in Ireland. The Council is responsible for Housing and Community, Roads and Transportation, Urban planning and Development, Amenity and Culture, and Environment.The Chairman ...
, and served from 1979 as a member of the South-Eastern Health Board. On the Health Board, she fought to overturn the blocking by local officials of the distribution of a book called The Book of the Child, published by Ireland's Health Education Bureau, because it included a page about contraception.
Bulbulia then stood unsuccessfully as a Fine Gael candidate for the Waterford constituency
Waterford (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Waterford is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
at three general elections: 1981
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....
, November 1982, and 1989
Irish general election, 1989
The Irish general election of 1989 was held on Thursday, 15 June 1989, three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 25 May. The newly elected 166 members of the 26th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 29 June...
. After her 1981 defeat, she was elected to the 15th Seanad Éireann on the Administrative Panel, and re-elected three times until her defeat at the 1989 election to the 19th Seanad.
Martin Cullen
Martin Cullen
Martin Cullen is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Waterford constituency. Cullen was a member of Seanad Éireann and served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government , Minister for Transport and Minister for Social and Family Affairs and...
the Progressive Democrats TD for Waterford, defected to 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...
after the a dispute over candidate selection for the 1994 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 1994 (Ireland)
The 1994 European Parliament election in Ireland was the Irish component of the 1994 European Parliament election. The election was conducted under the single transferable vote.-Results:-Voting details:-See also:...
, and Bulbulia then joined the PDs. She stood as the PD candidate in Waterford at the 1997 general election
Irish general election, 1997
The Irish general election of 1997 was held on Friday, 6 June 1997. The 166 newly elected members of the 28th Dáil assembled on 26 June 1997 when a new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
, but again failed to win a seat. However, the Rainbow coalition
Rainbow Coalition
Rainbow Coalition may refer to any of the following groups:* National Rainbow Coalition, a former Kenyan political party* The 24th Government of Ireland, formed after the previous coalition fell apart...
government was defeated in the election, and a new coalition government
Government of the 28th Dáil
The 28th Dáil was elected at the 1997 general election on 6 June 1997 and first met on 26 June when President Mary Robinson, appointed Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach, on the nomination of Dáil Éireann. On the nomination of the Taoiseach, and following the Dáil's approval the 25th Government of Ireland...
was formed between 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...
and the Progressive Democrats. Bulbulia was appointed as programme manager to the Tánaiste
Tánaiste
The Tánaiste is the deputy prime minister of Ireland. The current Tánaiste is Eamon Gilmore, TD who was appointed on 9 March 2011.- Origins and etymology :...
, PD leader Mary Harney
Mary Harney
Mary Harney is a former Irish politician. She served as Tánaiste from 1997–2006, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from 1997–2004, and as Minister for Health and Children from 2004 to 2011...
, a post she held for nine years until Harney was replaced as leader in September 2006 by Michael McDowell
Michael McDowell
Michael McDowell is a Senior Counsel in the Bar Council of Ireland and a former politician. A grandson of Irish revolutionary Eoin MacNeill, McDowell was a founding member of the Progressive Democrats political party in the mid-1980s...
. The job, which carried at the end a salary of €140,000 a year, involved daily liaison with the Taoiseach's programme manager, Gerry Hickey. That working relationship formed the main channel of communication between the two parties in the coalition. Bulbulia also played an important role in communicating with other members of the PD parliamentary party about the decisions taken at Government level.
Harney stayed on as Minister for Health
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...
after resigning the party leadership, and in November 2006 she appointed Bulbulia as chair of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency. The previous week, her husband Abdul had been appointed to a new Government technical advisory group on HIV/AIDS and other global communicable diseases. He had previously been appointed by Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 7 May 2008 to 9 March 2011. He was head of a coalition government led by Fianna Fáil which until 23 January 2011 had the support of the Green Party and independent TDs.Cowen was also leader of Fianna Fáil from 7 May...
(Harney's predecessor as Minister for Health) as a member of the Ireland Medical Council, where he initiated moves which led in 2001 to a softening of the Council's guidelines on abortion.
Her appointment was criticised by the pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
Family and Life group, who condemned Bulbulia for having opposed the 1983 pro-life amendment
Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland
The Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland introduced a constitutional ban on abortion. It was effected by the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution Act, 1983, which was approved by referendum on 7 September 1983 and signed into law on the 7 October of the same year.-Changes to the...
to the Constitution of Ireland
Constitution of Ireland
The Constitution of Ireland is the fundamental law of the Irish state. The constitution falls broadly within the liberal democratic tradition. It establishes an independent state based on a system of representative democracy and guarantees certain fundamental rights, along with a popularly elected...
. The following year the agency came into conflict with the Catholic pregnancy counselling agency CURA, when it refused to renew CURA
External links
- Crisis Pregnancy Agency website