As General Election Day gets closer, it’s timely that we look back at the achievements of Crescent Past Pupils who were elected to Dáil Éireann. The following is courtesy of Tony White (CCPPU).
Eleven past pupils of Crescent College have been elected as TDs since the first election to Dáil Éireann in 1918. The longest-serving of these was Desmond O’Malley who for 34 years was a TD for Limerick East. He, his uncle, Donogh O’Malley, and Tom O’Donnell all became cabinet ministers.
1. James O’Mara (1873‒1948) was Sinn Féin TD for Kilkenny South from December 1918 to June 1921, and Cumann na nGaedhael TD for Dublin South from March 1924 to June 1927. He had also been an Irish Nationalist MP at Westminster for Kilkenny South from 1900 to 1907 when he resigned to join Sinn Fein. A man with many business interests (including the family bacon factory in Limerick) he was one of the main financial backers of the Sinn Fein party in its early years.
2. Dick O’Connell (1892‒1964) from Caherconlish was TD for Limerick from May 1924 to February 1932 when he lost his seat. He had been a brigadier in the IRA in the war of Independence, and an officer in the Irish army before his election. After 1932 he became a farmer and racehorse trainer in County Dublin.
3. George Bennett (1877‒1963) from Patrickswell was a farmer and pedigree bloodstock breeder. He was a Cumann na nGaedhael and Fine Gael TD for Limerick from June 1927 to February 1948. When the constituency was divided in 1948, he lost his seat in the new Limerick East constituency. His main interest as a TD was in agricultural issues.
4. Donogh O’Malley (1921‒1968) was a Fianna Fáil TD for Limerick East from May 1954 until his sudden death in March 1968. He is widely remembered nationally as the Minister for Education who introduced the ‘O’Malley Scheme’ of “free education” which brought about the abolition of fees in most second-level schools nationally and the introduction of free school transport, mostly in rural schools. An engineer by profession he was Minister for Health 1965‒1966, Minister for Education 1966-68 and junior minister in the Office of Public Works 1961‒1965. He was an amateur soccer international for the Republic of Ireland, played rugby for Connacht and was President of the Football Association of Ireland.
5. Ted Russell (1912‒2004) was an Independent TD for Limerick East from March 1957 to October 1961. He also represented Fine Gael as a Senator from 1969 to 1977. He was an unsuccessful Dáil candidate for Clann na Poblachta in 1948, 1951 and the May 1952 by-election, and for Fine Gael in 1965, 1973 and 1977. He was a successful businessman both in Limerick and nationally. He played rugby for Munster.
6. Tom O’Donnell (1926‒2020) was Fine Gael TD for Limerick East from October 1961 to February 1987. He served as Minister for the Gaeltacht in the period 1973‒1977. He was a Member of the European Parliament 1979‒1989. Prior to entering politics, he had been a teacher and both a journalist and national organiser with Muintir na Tíre. In retirement he was involved in a wide number of voluntary bodies and was Chair of the Peace Centre at University of Limerick. His wife, Helen, currently chairs the Board of Management of Crescent College Comprehensive.
7. Des O’Malley (1939‒2021), a solicitor, served as Fianna Fáil TD for Limerick East from May 1968 to December 1986 and subsequently as Progressive Democrat TD from February 1987 until June 2002. He was the founder and first leader of the Progressive Democrat party from 1986 to 1993. He served for eleven years as a cabinet minister between 1970 and 1992. Minister for Justice 1970‒1973. Minister for Industry and Commerce 1977‒81, 1982, 1989‒1992. In Industry and Commerce he also had at various times responsibility for Energy, Tourism and Trade. He is credited with having brought forty five Acts through the Dáil as a minister.
8. Pat O’Malley (1943‒2021) was Progressive Democrat TD for Dublin West from March 1987 to June 1989. He was one of 14 TDs elected for the party in its breakthrough first general election in 1987. He qualified as an engineer and was a company director in Dublin.
9. Tim O’Malley (Past Pupil 1962) was Progressive Democrat TD for Limerick East from June 2002 to May 2007. He is one of a very small group of TDs whose entire Dáil career was spent as a minister. He was Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children with responsibility for Disability, Mental health Services and Food Safety. His career has been as a pharmacist in Limerick.
10. Michael Harty (Past Pupil 1970) was an Independent TD for Clare from February 2016 to February 2020. He is the local Medical Doctor in KiImihill, Co Clare. He ran on a ticket highlighting the difficulty of recruiting general practitioners in small towns and villages and its implications for the future of rural Ireland. He did not run in the 2020 general election.
11. Tom Neville (Past Pupil 1994) from Croagh was Fine Gael TD for Limerick County from February 2016 to February 2020 when he lost his seat. He had been an actor and radio presenter before entering politics. He succeeded his father, Dan Neville, who had been a Fine Gael TD for Limerick West, 1997‒2011 and for Limerick County, 2011‒2016.