1.
Erskine Hamilton Childers
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Erskine Hamilton Childers was an Irish politician who served as the fourth President of Ireland from 25 of June 1973 until his death on 17 November 1974. He was a Teachta Dála from 1938 until 1973, Childers served as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, Minister for Lands, Minister for Transport and Power, and Minister for Health. He was appointed Tánaiste in 1969 and his father Robert Erskine Childers, a leading Irish republican and author of the espionage thriller The Riddle of the Sands, was executed during the Irish Civil War. Childers was born in the Embankment Gardens, London, to a Protestant family originally from Glendalough and his mother, Mary Alden Childers was a Bostonian whose ancestors arrived on the Mayflower. Childers was educated at Greshams School, Holt, and the University of Cambridge, before his execution, in a spirit of reconciliation, the older Childers obtained a promise from his son to seek out and shake the hand of every man who had signed the death warrant. After attending his fathers funeral, Childers returned to Greshams, then two years later he went on to Trinity College, Cambridge, after finishing his education, Childers worked for a period in a tourism board in Paris. In 1931, Éamon de Valera invited him to work for de Valeras recently founded newspaper, The Irish Press and he became a naturalised Irish citizen in 1938. That same year, he was first elected as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for Athlone–Longford and he would remain in the Dáil Éireann until 1973, when he resigned to become President. Childers joined the cabinet in 1951 as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs in the de Valera government, erskines period as a minister was controversial. One commentator described his career as spectacularly unsuccessful. Others praised his willingness to make tough decisions, Childers was nominated by Fianna Fáil at the behest of de Valera, who pressured Jack Lynch in the selection of the presidential candidate. He was a nominee, owing not only to his British birth and upbringing. Childers, though 67, quickly gained a reputation as a vibrant, extremely hard-working president, however, he had a strained relationship with the incumbent government, led by Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave of Fine Gael. Childers had campaigned on a platform of making the more open and hands-on. He refused to co-operate with Childers first priority upon taking office, Childers considered resigning from the presidency, but was convinced to remain by Cosgraves Foreign Minister, Garret FitzGerald. Prevented from transforming the presidency as he desired, Childers instead threw his energy into a schedule of official visits and speeches. On 17 November 1974, just after making a speech to the Royal College of Physicians in Dublin and he died the same day at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital. He was buried in the grounds of the Church of Ireland Derralossary church in Roundwood, childerss widow, Rita, shared her late husbands widespread personal popularity
2.
University of Limerick
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The University of Limerick is a university in the city of Limerick, Ireland. It was established in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick and it was the first university established since the foundation of the State in 1922, followed by the establishment of Dublin City University later on the same day. The university is located along the River Shannon, on a 137.5 hectares campus comprising 46 hectares on the bank and 91.5 hectares on the south bank,5 km from Limerick city centre. The university has currently in excess of 11,000 full-time undergraduate students including over 2400 international students and 1,500 part-time students, there are also over 800 research postgraduates and 1,300 taught postgraduate students at the university. The Co-operative Education programme allocates all students with an 8-month work placement as part of their degree and this was the first such programmes in the state. Professor Don Barry, a graduate of Yale University, is the current president of the university, in 1908 there was also an attempt to establish a link between the National University of Ireland and Mungret College located about 5 km from Limerick. The college offered courses in the faculty of Arts to degree, the Royal University of Ireland was dissolved in 1909 and was replaced by the National University of Ireland. Which marked the end of education at Mungret. Degrees were awarded to students at Mungret College by the NUI from 1909 to 1912 to accommodate students who had matriculated in the now extinct Royal University, the campaign for a University in Limerick began in earnest by the late 1950s. The Limerick University Project Committee was founded in September 1959 as a project of the 1957 Mayor of Limerick, another supporter, Mr Justice Dermot Kinlen, was a High Court judge and later the first State Inspector General of Prisons and Places of Detention. Both Mr Russell and Mr Justice Kinlen were awarded honorary degrees by the university in 2002, successful economic development policies of the 1960s led to an influx of foreign direct investment into Ireland and to a demand for advanced expertise not satisfied by the existing universities. In response the state decided to establish the National Institute for Higher Education at Limerick, Dr Walsh took up office as Chairman of the Planning Board and Director of the Institute on 1 January 1970. With finance secured from the World Bank, construction commenced on Phase 1, the first students were enrolled in 1972 when the institute was opened by then Taoiseach, Jack Lynch. The second phase of development was financed by the European Investment Bank, subsequently the billionaire philanthropist Chuck Feeney was a major donor to the university. The Shannon Development Company was also a supporter of the project. A change of government resulted in NIHE Limerick being required to apply for recognition as a Recognised College of the National University of Ireland which awarded degrees to its graduates in 1977. Arising from strong opposition mounted by students and others the NIHE Limerick was permitted to withdraw from the NUI and was established by legislation as an independent institution, from 1978 to 1988 the National Council for Educational Awards was the degree-awarding authority for the NIHE Limerick. In 1989 NIHE, Limerick was established by legislation as the University of Limerick, the University expanded in 1991 following the incorporation of the Thomond College of Education, Limerick into the University
3.
President of Ireland
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The President of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland and the Supreme Commander of the Irish Defence Forces. The President holds office for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms, unless a candidate runs unopposed, the President is directly elected by the people. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute discretion, the President acts as a representative of the Irish state. Former President Mary McAleese described the office as the guardian of the constitution, the Presidents official residence is Áras an Uachtaráin, which is located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin. The office was established by the Constitution of Ireland in 1937, the current president is His Excellency Michael D Higgins, who was elected on 29 October 2011. His inauguration was held on 11 November 2011, President Higgins is a veteran left-wing politician and human rights campaigner. As a member of the Labour Party, he has served in both houses of the Oireachtas, President Higgins is also a poet and speaks the Irish language fluently. The Constitution of Ireland provides for a system of government. The President is formally one of three parts of the Oireachtas, which also comprises Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann, unlike most other parliamentary democracies, the President is not even the nominal chief executive. Rather, executive authority is vested in the Government. The Government is obliged, however, to keep the President generally informed on matters of domestic, most of the functions of the President may be carried out only in accordance with the strict instructions of the Constitution, or the binding advice of the Government. The President does, however, possess certain personal powers that may be exercised at his or her discretion, the main functions are prescribed by the Constitution, Appoints the government The President formally appoints the Taoiseach and other ministers, and accepts their resignations. The Taoiseach is appointed upon the nomination of the Dáil, ministers are dismissed on the advice of the Taoiseach and the Taoiseach must, unless there is a dissolution of the Dáil, resign upon losing the confidence of the house. Appoints the judiciary The President appoints the judges to all Courts of the Republic of Ireland, convenes and dissolves the Dáil This power is exercised on the advice of the Taoiseach, government or Dáil approval is not needed. The President may only refuse a dissolution when a Taoiseach has lost the confidence of the Dáil, signs bills into law The President cannot veto a bill that the Dáil and the Seanad have adopted. However, he/she may refer it to the Supreme Court to test its constitutionality, if the Supreme Court upholds the bill, the President must sign it. If, however, it is found to be unconstitutional, the President will decline to give assent, represents the state in foreign affairs This power is exercised only on the advice of the Government. The President accredits ambassadors and receives the letters of credence of foreign diplomats, ministers sign international treaties in the Presidents name
4.
Jack Lynch
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John Mary Jack Lynch was the Taoiseach of Ireland, serving two terms in office, from 1966 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979. Lynch was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Teachta Dála for Cork in 1948 and he previously served as Minister for Finance, Minister for Industry and Commerce, Minister for Education, Minister for the Gaeltacht and as a Parliamentary Secretary. He was the leader of Fianna Fáil from 1966 until 1979. Lynch was the last Fianna Fáil leader to secure a majority in the Dáil. Historian and journalist T. Ryle Dwyer has called him the most popular Irish politician since Daniel OConnell, before his political career Lynch had a successful sporting career as a dual player of Gaelic games. He played hurling with his local club Glen Rovers and with the Cork senior inter-county team from 1936 until 1950, Lynch also played Gaelic football with his local club St Nicholas and with the Cork senior inter-county team from 1936 until 1946. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest dual players of all-time, in a senior inter-county hurling career that lasted for fourteen years he won five All-Ireland titles, seven Munster titles, three National Hurling League titles and seven Railway Cup titles. In a senior inter-county football career lasted for ten years Lynch won one All-Ireland title. Lynch was later named at midfield on the Hurling Team of the Century, John Mary Lynch was born on 15 August 1917, just yards from the famous Shandon bells and St. Annes in Cork City. The youngest of five boys, with two girls born after him, Jack, as he was known, was regarded as the wild boy of the family. He was educated at St. Vincents Convent on Peacock Lane, and later at the famous North Mon, when Lynch was just thirteen years old his mother died suddenly. Lynch, who had particularly close to his mother, was deeply affected by her death. His aunt, who herself had a family of six, stepped in to look after the family in time of great upheaval for them. Lynch sat his Leaving Certificate in 1936, after which he moved to Dublin and worked with the Dublin District Milk Board, Lynch began working at the Cork Circuit Court as a clerk while still only nineteen years old. His work in the court ignited his interest in law and in 1941 he began a course at University College Cork studying law. After two years in UCC he moved to Dublin to complete his studies at Kings Inns, while continuing his studies he started work with the Department of Justice. In 1945 Lynch was called to the Bar and had to decide whether to remain in his Civil Service job or practice as a barrister, Lynch made the decision to move back to Cork and began a private practice on the Cork Circuit. It was in 1943, while on holidays in Glengariff, West Cork, that Lynch met his wife, Máirín OConnor
5.
Labour Party (Ireland)
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The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. Unlike the other main Irish political parties, Labour did not arise as a faction of the original Sinn Féin party. This gives Labour a cumulative total of nineteen years served as part of a government, the current party leader is Brendan Howlin. It is currently the fourth largest party in Dáil Éireann, with seven seats, the Labour Party is a member of the Progressive Alliance, Socialist International, and Party of European Socialists. In 1912 James Connolly, James Larkin and William OBrien established the Irish Labour Party as the wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. This party was to represent the workers in the expected Dublin Parliament under the Third Home Rule Act 1914, the Irish Citizen Army, formed during the 1913 Lockout, was informally the military wing of the Labour Movement. The ICA took part in the 1916 Rising, councillor Richard OCarroll, a Labour Party member of Dublin Corporation, was the only elected representative to be killed during the Easter Rising. OCarroll was shot and died days later on 5 May 1916. The ICA was revived during Peadar ODonnells Republican Congress but after the 1935 split in the Congress most ICA members joined the Labour Party. The British Labour Party had previously organised in Ireland, but in 1913 the Labour NEC agreed that the Irish Labour Party would have organising rights over the entirety of Ireland. A group of trade unionists in Belfast objected and the Belfast Labour Party, in Larkins absence, William OBrien became the dominant figure in the Irish Transport and General Workers Union and wielded considerable influence in the Labour Party. OBrien also dominated the Irish Trade Union Congress and it also refrained from contesting the 1921 elections. As a result, the party was left outside Dáil Éireann during the years of the independence struggle. The Anglo-Irish Treaty divided the Labour Party, some members sided with the Irregulars in the Irish Civil War that quickly followed. OBrien and Johnson encouraged its members to support the Treaty, in the 1922 general election the party won 17 seats. However, there were a number of strikes during the first year, in the 1923 general election the Labour Party only won 14 seats. From 1922 until Fianna Fáil TDs took their seats in 1927, Labour attacked the lack of social reform by the Cumann na nGaedheal government. In 1923 Larkin returned to Ireland and he hoped to take over the leadership role he had left, but OBrien resisted him
6.
Taoiseach
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The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The current Taoiseach is Enda Kenny, TD, who was appointed on 9 March 2011, on 10 March 2016, at the first sitting of the 32nd Dáil, Kenny failed to gain the support of the house and tendered his resignation to the President. He remained in office in a capacity until being re-elected on 6 May 2016. The word means chieftain or leader in Irish and was adopted in the 1937 Constitution of Ireland as the title of the head of the Government, Taoiseach is the official title of the head of government in both English and Irish. Outside of Ireland, the Taoiseach is often referred to as the Prime Minister of Ireland, under the Constitution of Ireland, the Taoiseach is nominated by a simple majority of Dáil Éireann from among its members. He/she is then appointed to office by the President, who is required to appoint whomever the Dáil designates. For this reason, it is said that the Taoiseach is elected by Dáil Éireann. The Taoiseach may lose the support of Dáil Éireann by the passage of a vote of no confidence, or the failure of a vote of confidence, or alternatively, the Dáil may refuse supply. In the event of the Taoiseachs resignation, he/she continues to exercise the duties, the Taoiseach nominates the remaining members of the Government, who are then, with the consent of the Dáil, appointed by the President. The Taoiseach also has authority to advise the President to dismiss cabinet ministers from office, advice the President is required to follow by convention, the Taoiseach is further responsible for appointing eleven members of the Seanad. The Department of the Taoiseach is the government department which supports, since 2013, the Taoiseachs annual salary is €185,350. It was cut from €214,187 to €200,000 when Kenny took office, a proposed increase of €38,000 in 2007 was deferred when Brian Cowen became Taoiseach and in October 2008, the government announced a 10% salary cut for all ministers, including the Taoiseach. However this was a cut and the salaries remained nominally the same with ministers. This courted controversy in December 2009 when a cut of 20% was based on the higher figure before the refused amount was deducted. The Taoiseach is also allowed an additional €118,981 in annual expenses, there is no official residence of the Taoiseach. The house, which part of the Farmleigh estate acquired by the State in 1999 for €29. 2m, was renovated at a cost of nearly €600,000 in 2005 by the Office of Public Works. Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern did not use it as a residence, the words Taoiseach and Tánaiste are both from the Irish language and of ancient origin. Though the Taoiseach is described in the Constitution of Ireland as the head of the Government or Prime Minister, Tánaiste in turn refers to the system of tanistry, the Gaelic system of succession whereby a leader would appoint an heir apparent while still living
7.
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade
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The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade is the senior minister at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the Government of Ireland. The Ministers office is located at Iveagh House, on St Stephens Green in Dublin, from 1922 until 1971 the title of the office was Minister for External Affairs. The current office holder is Charles Flanagan, TD, Anglo-Irish Division – deals with Anglo-Irish relations and Northern Ireland. Cultural Division – administers the states Cultural Relations Programme, European Union Division – coordinates the states approach within the European Union. Development Cooperation Division – responsible for the Irish Aid programme and for Irish international development policy, passport and Consular Division – is responsible for the issuing of passports to Irish citizens. Political Division – is responsible for political issues and manages the states participation in the EUs Common Foreign. Protocol Division – is responsible for the organisation and management of visits of VIPs to the state, the Minister has responsibility for the relations between Ireland and foreign states. Irish cabinets since 1919 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
8.
Patrick Hillery
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Patrick John Hillery was an Irish politician and the sixth President of Ireland from 1976 until 1990. First elected at the 1951 general election as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for Clare, during this time he served as Minister for Education, Minister for Industry and Commerce, Minister for Labour and Minister for Foreign Affairs. In 1973 he was appointed Irelands first European Commissioner, serving until 1976 when he became President, Patrick John Hillery, more popularly known as Paddy Hillery, was born in Spanish Point, County Clare in 1923. The son of Michael Joseph Hillery, a doctor, and Ellen McMahon. At third level Hillery attended University College Dublin where he qualified with a degree in medicine, upon his conferral in 1947 he returned to his native town where he followed in his father’s footsteps as a doctor. Hillery’s medical career in the 1950s saw him serve as a member of the National Health Council and he also spent a year working as coroner for West Clare. Hillery married Maeve Finnegan on 27 October 1955, together they had a son, John, and a daughter, Vivienne, who died after a long illness in 1987, shortly before her eighteenth birthday. The election resulted in a return to power for Fianna Fáil and he remained on the backbenches for almost a decade, before finally becoming a minister following de Valeras retirement as Taoiseach in 1959. The new Taoiseach, Seán Lemass, began the process of retiring de Valeras ministers, key among this new breed of politician was Hillery who became Minister for Education in 1959, succeeding Jack Lynch in that post. As Minister for Education, Hillery was responsible for innovative thinking in a department which would become very important under Lemasss leadership. In 1963 he made a policy speech in which he outlined many of the educational reforms that were to be introduced over the next decade. These included increased educational opportunities for many, the establishment of schools and Regional Technical Colleges. As Minister for Education, Hillery laid the groundwork for successive ministers to advance the reforms, while Donogh OMalley has received much of the credit for introducing free education it was in fact Hillery who laid much of the groundwork before this landmark announcement. In 1965 Hillery succeeded Lynch again by taking over as Minister for Industry and this department was considered one of the most important in kick-starting Irelands economy. Hillery only remained in position for just over a year, becoming the countrys first Minister for Labour in 1966. This new department had been a dream of Lemasss for several years, Lemass resigned as Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil in November 1966, a shock to many of his political friends. Hillery was invited by Lemass to allow his name to go forward for the leadership of the party, however, he declined explaining that he had no interest. Many historians have suggested that Hillery was Lemasss first choice to succeed him, however others have said that the Lemass pecking order went as follows, Jack Lynch, Hillery and George Colley
9.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine
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The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine is the senior minister at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the Government of Ireland. Historically, the portfolio has gone under a number of different names. The current Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine is Michael Creed, monitoring and controlling aspects of food safety. Control and audit of public expenditure under its control, regulation of the agriculture, fisheries and food industries through national and EU law. Monitoring and controlling animal and plant health and animal welfare, monitoring and direction of state bodies engaged in the following areas, Research training and advice. Direct provision of services to agriculture, food, fisheries. Irish cabinets since 1919 Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
