The former Fianna Fáil minister and deputy party leader Mary O’Rourke has died, her family has confirmed. She was 87.
Ms O’Rourke served in the cabinets of Charles Haughey and later Bertie Ahern.
After politics she continued to maintain a high public profile through writing and broadcasting.
It is understood that Ms O’Rourke had recently been ill. A death notice posted on rip.ie she died “peacefully surrounded by her loving family and in the exceptional care of the staff of the Fern Dean nursing home, Deansgrange”.
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“Mary’s family express their gratitude to everyone for your support at this difficult time,” it states.
First elected for the Longford-Westmeath constituency in 1982, she was appointed minister for education by Mr Haughey in 1987. She moved to the Department of Health in 1991 and was demoted by Albert Reynolds when he succeeded Mr Haughey, but resisted the move so fiercely that he gave her a job as a junior minister.
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Ms O’Rourke was restored to the party’s front bench by Mr Ahern in 1994, becoming deputy leader in opposition after Fine Gael, Labour and Democratic Left formed a coalition without an election.
When Mr Ahern led Fianna Fáil back into power in 1997, Ms O’Rourke was made minister for public enterprise, which included supervision of many of the large semi-State companies. She presided over the privatisation of Telecom Éireann and also – because of her responsibility for Aer Lingus and the State’s airports – clashed frequently with Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary.
She lost her Dáil seat in 2002 before being nominated to the Seanad by Mr Ahern, where she was subsequently appointed leader of the House. Five years later, she was back in the Dáil when the 2008 financial crash arrived. She lost her seat again in the massacre of Fianna Fáil candidates in 2011.
During her career, Ms O’Rourke had a reputation for straight-talking and a facility for political street-fighting. At a time when politics – especially in Fianna Fáil – was overwhelmingly male, she stood out.
She was a member of a famous Athlone political family. Her father Paddy was a Fianna Fáil TD in the 1960s and her brother Brian was also a long-standing Fianna Fáil minister in the governments of Mr Haughey. He and Ms O’Rourke served in two cabinets together, from 1987-1990. Her nephews, Brian and Conor Lenihan, were also TDs and ministers, while her son Aengus is a Fianna Fáil councillor in Westmeath.
Another son, Feargal, is a former managing partner of PwC and is currently chairman of the IDA, Ireland’s foreign direct investment agency. Feargal paid tribute to her in a post on X, saying she “loved [her sons] to bits, taught us to respect everyone, to be honest, to work hard and study hard, to love our family”.
In a statement, the Fianna Fáil leader and Tánaiste Micheál Martin said she was a “remarkable woman who made an outstanding contribution to Irish public life and to the modernisation of Ireland”.
“Mary was a commanding and engaging figure – an insightful observer of both political life and societal trends. Her wit and keen sense of the country, both in its present state and future potential, made her a cherished colleague and friend,” he said.
President Michael D Higgins said she had a “shrewd and magnetic approach to politics and politicians”.
“The warmth of her personality was reflected in the wide appreciation held for Mary among both the public and her fellow members of the Oireachtas, and was respected in her continuing and wide-ranging engagement with so many parts of public life in the years following her political career,” he said.
In the Dáil, Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl said it had just come to his attention that “a former esteemed colleague, long serving colleague, highly regarded and colourful colleague of ours Mary O’Rourke has just passed away”.
He said: “I’m sure we’d all want to be associated with expressions of sympathy to her family.”
Fine Gael TD Bernard Durkan described Ms O’Rourke as “a personality” and said “she and her family made a huge contribution to public life in this country” over a long number of years.
Sinn Féin TD and former Fianna Fáil member Chris Andrews also sympathised, calling Ms O’Rourke a robust and big personality.
Green Party leader and Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman said in a statement that Ms O’Rourke “one of the major figures of Irish politics over the last few decades. She forged a path for female politicians and showed what was possible for those who followed.”
Ms O’Rourke’s funeral will take place on Monday in Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Coosan at noon.
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