Madeleine Taylor-Quinn
Encyclopedia
Madeleine Taylor-Quinn is a former Fine Gael
politician who served for over twenty years in the Oireachtas
as a Teachta Dála
(TD) for Clare and as a Senator
.
Born Madeleine Taylor in Kilkee
, County Clare
, she was educated at the Convent of Mercy Secondary School in Kilrush
, and at University College Galway, graduating with a BA, HDipEd, and LLB. Working as a teacher, she became a founder member of Young Fine Gael
in 1977, and Joint Honorary Secretary of Fine Gael from 1979–82, the first woman officer in the party.
She was elected to Dáil Éireann
on her first attempt, at the 1981 general election
, succeeding her father Frank Taylor
, who had been a TD from 1969. County Clare
's first-ever female TD, she took her seat in the 22nd Dáil as Fine Gael leader Garret FitzGerald
was elected Taoiseach
, heading a Fine Gael-Labour
coalition government.
The government fell in January 1982 when it was defeated in a vote on the budget, and at the February 1982 general election Taylor-Quinn lost her seat to Fine Gael's other candidate, Donal Carey
. She was then elected to the 16th Seanad Éireann on the Cultural and Educational Panel.
She regained her Dáil seat later that year, at the November 1982 general election, and was re-elected at the 1987
and 1989 general elections
. She lost her seat at the 1992 general election
, when Labour's Moosajee Bhamjee
was elected in Clare, becoming Ireland's first Muslim TD. She stood again at the 1997
and 2002 elections
, but was defeated by a narrow margin on both occasions.
After her Dáil defeat in 1992, Taylor-Quinn was elected to the Seanad Éireann, again by the Cultural and Educational Panel, which re-elected her in 1997 to the 21st Seanad. She was defeated in the 2002 Seanad elections, following a decision by Fine Gael to give party nominations to candidates from constituencies without a Fine Gael TD, coming 8th on the 6-seat panel.http://www.electionsireland.org/result.cfm?election=2002S&cons=66 She also stood as a Fine Gael candidate in the 2004 European Parliament election
, for the North–West constituency. She polled particularly well in County Clare, with over 22,000 first preferences, the highest vote ever polled by any candidate in County Clare. Overall her 41,570 first preferences transferred well to Jim Higgins to get a Fine Gael seat in the new constituency, and ensuring Fine Gael beat Fianna Fáil
in a national election for the first time since 1927. She again contested stood in Clare in the Irish general election, 2007, winning 3,592 first preferences. Although she wasn't elected, Fine Gael
did win two of the four seats in the constituency.
In the Dáil, she has served at various times as her party's spokesperson on Tourism, the Marine and Defence. She has held a number of frontbench positions in the Seanad, including Foreign affairs, Arts, Culture, Gaeltacht & the Islands, Justice, Law Reform and Defence and also served as Deputy Opposition Leader. She has previously been a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committees on the Marriage Breakdown Committee; Joint Oireachtas Committee on Women's Rights and was Chairperson of the Select Committee on Judicial Separation.
Taylor-Quinn was a member of Clare County Council
from 1979 to 2009. She is a former Mayor of County Clare
(Chairperson of the County Council) (2008–09), and was the first Fine Gael Mayor in Clare since the foundation of the Irish State. She was also the Fine Gael group leader on Clare County Council until 2009. She is married to George Quinn, and has two sons.
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...
politician who served for over twenty years in the Oireachtas
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
as 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) for Clare and as a 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...
.
Born Madeleine Taylor in Kilkee
Kilkee
Kilkee is a small coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is located midway between Kilrush and Doonbeg on the N67 road. The town, one of the most famous resorts in Ireland, is particularly popular as a seaside resort with people from Limerick City...
, County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
, she was educated at the Convent of Mercy Secondary School in Kilrush
Kilrush
Kilrush is a coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is located near the mouth of the River Shannon in the south-west of the county. Kilrush is a town of great historical significance, being one of the listed Heritage Towns of Ireland.-History:...
, and at University College Galway, graduating with a BA, HDipEd, and LLB. Working as a teacher, she became a founder member of Young Fine Gael
Young Fine Gael
Young Fine Gael is the autonomous youth wing of the major Irish political party Fine Gael. It offers its members scope to assist in formulation of political policy, and the day to day running of the senior party...
in 1977, and Joint Honorary Secretary of Fine Gael from 1979–82, the first woman officer in the party.
She was 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...
on her first attempt, 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....
, succeeding her father Frank Taylor
Frank Taylor (Irish politician)
"Frank" Taylor was an Irish Fine Gael Party politician and TD for Clare from 1969–1981.A farmer before entering politics, he was first elected to the 19th Dáil at the 1969 general election, recapturing the seat held by Fine Gael TD William Murphy, who had died in 1967 and been replaced at...
, who had been a TD from 1969. County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
's first-ever female TD, she took her seat in the 22nd Dáil as Fine Gael 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 elected 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...
, heading a Fine Gael-Labour
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 government.
The government fell in January 1982 when it was defeated in a vote on the budget, and at the February 1982 general election Taylor-Quinn lost her seat to Fine Gael's other candidate, Donal Carey
Donal Carey
Donal Carey is a former Irish Fine Gael politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the constituency of Clare.Carey was first elected to Dáil Éireann on his 3rd attempt in the February 1982 General Election and retained his seat until losing it at the 2002 General Election.On 27 January 1995 he became...
. She was then elected to the 16th Seanad Éireann on the Cultural and Educational Panel.
She regained her Dáil seat later that year, at the November 1982 general election, and was re-elected at the 1987
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...
and 1989 general elections
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...
. She lost her seat at the 1992 general election
Irish general election, 1992
The Irish general election of 1992 was held on Wednesday, 25 November 1992, almost three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 5 November. However, after difficulties in forming a government the newly elected 166 members of the 27th Dáil did not assemble at Leinster House until 4 January 1993...
, when Labour's Moosajee Bhamjee
Moosajee Bhamjee
Moosajee Bhamjee is a former Irish Labour Party politician. He was Ireland's first Muslim Teachta Dála .Moosajee Bhamjee was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa in 1947. His father emigrated from India in 1906 and had set up a hardware shop there...
was elected in Clare, becoming Ireland's first Muslim TD. She stood again at the 1997
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....
and 2002 elections
Irish general election, 2002
The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday, 17 May 2002 just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern...
, but was defeated by a narrow margin on both occasions.
After her Dáil defeat in 1992, Taylor-Quinn was elected to the Seanad Éireann, again by the Cultural and Educational Panel, which re-elected her in 1997 to the 21st Seanad. She was defeated in the 2002 Seanad elections, following a decision by Fine Gael to give party nominations to candidates from constituencies without a Fine Gael TD, coming 8th on the 6-seat panel.http://www.electionsireland.org/result.cfm?election=2002S&cons=66 She also stood as a Fine Gael candidate in the 2004 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 2004 (Ireland)
The 2004 European Parliament election in Ireland was the Irish component of the 2004 European Parliament election. The voting was held on Friday, 11 June 2004. The election coincided with the 2004 local elections...
, for the North–West constituency. She polled particularly well in County Clare, with over 22,000 first preferences, the highest vote ever polled by any candidate in County Clare. Overall her 41,570 first preferences transferred well to Jim Higgins to get a Fine Gael seat in the new constituency, and ensuring Fine Gael beat 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...
in a national election for the first time since 1927. She again contested stood in Clare in the Irish general election, 2007, winning 3,592 first preferences. Although she wasn't elected, 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...
did win two of the four seats in the constituency.
In the Dáil, she has served at various times as her party's spokesperson on Tourism, the Marine and Defence. She has held a number of frontbench positions in the Seanad, including Foreign affairs, Arts, Culture, Gaeltacht & the Islands, Justice, Law Reform and Defence and also served as Deputy Opposition Leader. She has previously been a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committees on the Marriage Breakdown Committee; Joint Oireachtas Committee on Women's Rights and was Chairperson of the Select Committee on Judicial Separation.
Taylor-Quinn was a member of Clare County Council
Clare County Council
Clare County Council is the local authority which is responsible for County Clare in Ireland. The Council is responsible for Housing and Community, Roads and Transportation, Urban planning and Development, Amenity and Culture, and Environment....
from 1979 to 2009. She is a former Mayor of County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
(Chairperson of the County Council) (2008–09), and was the first Fine Gael Mayor in Clare since the foundation of the Irish State. She was also the Fine Gael group leader on Clare County Council until 2009. She is married to George Quinn, and has two sons.
External links
- Madeleine Taylor-Quinn's electoral history (ElectionsIreland.org)