Máire Geoghegan-Quinn

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn (/ˈmɑːrə ˈɡɛɡɪn ˈkwɪn/; born 5 September 1950) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science from 2010 to 2014, Member of the European Court of Auditors from 2000 to 2010, Minister for Equality and Law Reform from November 1994 to December 1994, Minister for Justice from 1993 to 1994, Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communications from 1992 to 1993, Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach from 1987 to 1989, Minister of State for Youth and Sport from March 1982 to December 1982, Minister for the Gaeltacht from 1979 to 1981, Minister of State at the Department of Industry, Commerce and Energy from 1978 to 1979 and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Commerce from 1977 to 1978. She served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway West constituency from 1975 to 1997.[1]

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science
In office 9 February 2010 – 1 November 2014
President	José Manuel Barroso
Preceded by	Janez Potočnik (Science and Research)
Succeeded by	Carlos Moedas (Research, Science and Innovation)
Member of the European Court of Auditors
In office 1 March 2000 – 9 February 2010
Preceded by	Barry Desmond
Succeeded by	Eoin O'Shea
Minister for Equality and Law Reform
In office 18 November 1994 – 15 December 1994
Taoiseach	Albert Reynolds
Preceded by	Mervyn Taylor
Succeeded by	Mervyn Taylor
Minister for Justice
In office 4 January 1993 – 15 December 1994
Taoiseach	Albert Reynolds
Preceded by	Pádraig Flynn
Succeeded by	Nora Owen
Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communications
In office 11 February 1992 – 12 January 1993
Taoiseach	Albert Reynolds
Preceded by	Séamus Brennan
Succeeded by	Charlie McCreevy
Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach
In office 12 March 1987 – 12 July 1989
Taoiseach	Charles Haughey
Preceded by	New office
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Minister of State for Youth and Sport
In office 23 March 1982 – 14 December 1982
Taoiseach	Charles Haughey
Preceded by	New office
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Minister for the Gaeltacht
In office 11 December 1979 – 30 June 1981
Taoiseach	Charles Haughey
Preceded by	Denis Gallagher
Succeeded by	Paddy O'Toole
Minister of State at the Department of Industry, Commerce and Energy
In office 1 January 1978 – 11 December 1979
Taoiseach	Jack Lynch
Preceded by	New office
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Commerce
In office 5 July 1977 – 1 January 1978
Taoiseach	Jack Lynch
Preceded by	John Bruton
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Teachta Dála
In office March 1975 – June 1997
Constituency	Galway West
Personal details
Born	Máire Geoghegan 5 September 1950 Carna, County Galway, Ireland
Nationality	Irish
Political party	Fianna Fáil
Spouse(s)	John Quinn (m. 1988)
Children	2
Education	Tourmakeady College
Alma mater	Carysfort College

Early and personal life

Máire Geoghegan was born in Carna, County Galway, in September 1950. She was educated at Coláiste Muire, Tourmakeady, in County Mayo and at Carysfort College in Blackrock, Dublin, from where she qualified as a teacher. She is married to John Quinn, with whom she has two children. Her novel The Green Diamond, about four young women sharing a house in Dublin in the 1960s, was published in 1996.

Geoghegan-Quinn was awarded an honorary doctorate of Laws (LLD) by NUI Galway in June 2014.

Political career

Geoghegan-Quinn at the signing ceremony for the European Research Area

Her father, Johnny Geoghegan, was a Fianna Fáil TD for Galway West from 1954 until his death in 1975. His daughter successfully contested the subsequent by-election.[2] From 1977 to 1979, she worked as Parliamentary Secretary (junior minister) at the Department of Industry, Commerce and Energy. She served as a member of Galway City Council from 1985 to 1991.

Geoghegan-Quinn supported Charles Haughey in the 1979 Fianna Fáil leadership election and was subsequently appointed to the cabinet post of Minister for the Gaeltacht. She became the first woman to hold an Irish cabinet post since Countess Markievicz had been served as Minister for Labour from 1919 to 1921 in the Dáil Ministry during the First Dáil, and the first since the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922.

In 1982, she was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Education. Her tenure was short because the 23rd Dáil lasted only 279 days, and a Fine Gael–Labour Party coalition was elected at the November 1982 general election.

When Fianna Fáil returned to power after the 1987 general election, she became Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach. She had expected a senior government position, but was disappointed.[3] She resigned in 1991, in opposition to Charles Haughey's leadership of the party. The following year Albert Reynolds, whom she now backed for the leadership, became Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader. For her loyalty to Reynolds, she was appointed Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communications. She became Minister for Justice in 1993, in which post she introduced substantial law reform legislation, including the decriminalisation of homosexuality; she was also briefly acting Minister for Equality and Law Reform in late 1994, following the resignation of Labour Party Minister Mervyn Taylor from Reynolds' coalition government.

Healthy Brain Healthy Europe Conference 2013: (Left to right) Patrick Kennedy, Geoghegan-Quinn, and James Reilly

When Reynolds resigned as leader of Fianna Fáil in November 1994, Geoghegan-Quinn was seen as his preferred successor in the position.[4] In the resulting leadership election she stood against Bertie Ahern; a win would have made her the first female Taoiseach. On the day of the vote, however, she withdrew from the contest "in the interests of party unity". It was reported that she had the support of only 15 members of the 66-strong parliamentary party.[5]

At the 1997 general election she retired from politics completely, citing privacy issues, after details about her 17-year-old son's expulsion from school appeared in the newspapers. "If his mother had been a homemaker, an architect or a businesswoman, this simply would not have happened" she commented.[6] Other reports suggested that she saw her prospects for promotion under Ahern as poor,[7] and a weak showing in constituency opinion polls indicated her seat could be in danger.[8] She became a non-executive director of Aer Lingus, a member of the board of the Declan Ganley-owned Ganley Group, and wrote a column for The Irish Times.

Geoghegan-Quinn was appointed to the European Court of Auditors in 1999, replacing former Labour Party politician and Minister Barry Desmond. She was appointed for a second term at the Court of Auditors in March 2006, and resigned on 9 February 2010.[9]

She was nominated by the Taoiseach Brian Cowen to become Ireland's European Commissioner in November 2009,[10] and was subsequently allocated the Research, Innovation and Science portfolio.[11]

In April 2010, after numerous calls were made over several days for Geoghegan-Quinn to surrender her pensions as an Irish former politician—which are worth over €104,000—while she remained in a paid public office, she did so.[12]

In July 2015, it was announced that she would chair an independent panel to examine issues of gender equality among Irish higher education staff.[13]

References

1. "Máire Geoghegan-Quinn". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
2. "Máire Geoghegan-Quinn". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
3. Kenny, Shane and Keane, Fergal, Irish Politics Now: 'This Week' Guide to the 25th Dáil, Dingle, Co. Kerry: Brandon/RTÉ, 1987, p. 61
4. David Sharrock, "New coalition likely to avert Irish poll; Finance minister looks certain to take over from Reynolds", The Guardian, 19 November 1994.
5. John Burns, "Softly, softly, says Ahern", The Sunday Times, 20 November 1994.
6. Alan Murdoch, "Media blamed as Ireland's first woman cabinet minister quits", The Independent, 28 January 1997.
7. Denis Coughlan, "Maybe more than a matter of family privacy Maire Geoghegan-Quinn will be a big loss to Fianna Fail, but the denizens of Leinster House are already calling 'next business'," Irish Times, 28 January 1997.
8. John Burns and Rory Godson, "Desperately seeking candidates", The Sunday Times, 19 January 1997.
9. "Former Members". European Court of Auditors. 16 January 2016.
10. "Geoghegan-Quinn is Irish nominee to commission". RTÉ News. 27 April 2010.
11. "Barroso unveils new Commission line-up". EUobserver.com. 27 November 2009.
12. "Sam Smyth: Ministers give up their aul' sins in bonfire of the vanities". Irish Independent. 28 April 2010.
13. "Ireland's first ever female minister has a new job". TheJournal.ie. 20 July 2015.

External links

• Archived European Commission website