Mary Hanafin

Mary Hanafin
Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport
In office 23 March 2010 – 9 March 2011
Preceded by	Martin Cullen (Arts, Sport and Tourism)
Succeeded by	Leo Varadkar (Transport, Tourism and Sport) Jimmy Deenihan (Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht)
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation
In office 20 January 2011 – 9 March 2011
Preceded by	Batt O'Keeffe
Succeeded by	Richard Bruton (Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation)
Minister for Social and Family Affairs
In office 7 May 2008 – 23 March 2010
Preceded by	Martin Cullen
Succeeded by	Éamon Ó Cuív (Social Protection)
Minister for Education and Science
In office 29 September 2004 – 7 May 2008
Preceded by	Noel Dempsey
Succeeded by	Batt O'Keeffe
Government Chief Whip
In office 6 June 2002 – 29 September 2004
Preceded by	Séamus Brennan
Succeeded by	Tom Kitt
Minister of State for Children
In office 1 February 2000 – 6 June 2002
Preceded by	Frank Fahey
Succeeded by	Brian Lenihan
Teachta Dála
In office June 1997 – February 2011
Constituency	Dún Laoghaire
Personal details
Born	1 June 1959 (1959-06-01) Thurles, Ireland
Political party	Fianna Fáil
Spouse(s)	Eamon Leahy (Deceased)
Alma mater	St Patrick's College, Maynooth Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT)
Profession	Teacher
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Website	Official website

Mary Hanafin (born 1 June 1959) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who was a Teachta Dála (TD) for Dún Laoghaire from 1997 to 2011. She served as Government Chief Whip (2002–04), Minister for Education and Science (2004–08), Minister for Social and Family Affairs (2008–10), Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport (2010–11) and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation (2011). She is currently Vice-President of the Fianna Fáil Party.

Early life

Born in Thurles, County Tipperary, Hanafin is the daughter of Des and Mona Hanafin. Her father was a businessman and Fianna Fáil councillor who later served as a Senator at various times for over twenty-five years from 1969 until 2002.^{[citation needed]} Her brother, John Hanafin, was a member of Seanad Éireann from 2002–11.

Hanafin was educated at the Presentation Convent in Thurles and St. Patrick's College in Maynooth receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree.^{[citation needed]} She subsequently worked as a secondary school teacher of Irish and History in the Dominican College Sion Hill in Blackrock, Dublin.^{[citation needed]} Hanafin also obtained a diploma in legal studies at the Dublin Institute of Technology.^{[citation needed]}

Early political career

Hanafin was involved in politics from age 15.^{[citation needed]} Her father, Des Hanafin, as well as being a senator for Fianna Fáil, was a founding member of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) and a staunch opponent of contraception, abortion and divorce.^{[citation needed]} She joined Ógra Fianna Fáil aged fifteen and spoke at her first Ard Fheis two years later.^{[citation needed]} Hanafin first became involved in national politics in 1980 when, at the age of twenty-one, she was elected to the Fianna Fáil national executive, the party's ruling body.^{[citation needed]}

She was elected to Dublin City Council at the 1985 local elections for the Rathmines local electoral area^{[citation needed]} and unsuccessfully contested a Dáil seat at the 1989 general election for the Dublin South East constituency. She lost her seat on Dublin City Council in 1991 and became involved in the running of the Fianna Fáil party.^{[citation needed]} She was elected as national treasurer in 1993.^{[citation needed]} Hanafin is also a former president of the National Youth Council of Ireland.^{[citation needed]}

Dáil career

Hanafin was elected to the Dáil Éireann on her second attempt at the 1997 general election for the Dún Laoghaire constituency. In her first few years as a TD, she served on a number of Oireachtas committees, including Education and Science, Heritage and the Irish language and Justice, Equality and Women's Affairs.^{[citation needed]} In 2000, Hanafin was appointed Minister of State for Children, one of a number of new junior ministry positions created by the Government in 1997. She topped the poll in her constituency at the 2002 general election and was appointed to the position of Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach; also a junior (non-cabinet) ministry, but with special responsibility as Government Chief Whip.

Minister for Education and Science

Following a cabinet reshuffle in September 2004, Hanafin became Minister for Education and Science. Among her activities in that post: She abandoned the compilation of school league tables initiated during the incumbency of her predecessor, Noel Dempsey. School bus safety was prioritised for Hanafin following the death of five schoolgirls near Navan, County Meath in 2005. This has mandated the provision of one seat per child and of the mandatory usage of seatbelts in school buses. She announced plans for a possible change of entry requirements to third level medical education.

Hanafin was accused of bias towards private fee paying schools in her constituency when awarding building grants to them in 2005. Christian Brothers College, Monkstown Park and St. Andrew's College (Ireland) both received building grants for extensions and works on their buildings. Only Belvedere College, Kilkenny College and Loreto Beaufort, Rathfarnham had previously received money since 1995.

Hanafin was accused in February 2008, of being oblivious to the plight of parents of children with autism, and of taking an imperious view, consistent with her decision to engage in a 68 day court battle with the parents who were attempting to obtain appropriate education for their children through the Applied behavior analysis (ABA) method. She and her Department were accused of ignoring reality of autism education requirements. The mother, Yvonne Ui Cuanachain said: "Well I would reject the Minister's position quite completely and I feel it's actually quite cynically misrepresentative of the situation on the ground. The Department of Education does not support ABA, it does not support ABA within the ABA schools and neither does it support ABA within the eclectic classes."

Minister for Social and Family Affairs

On 7 May 2008, Hanafin was appointed as Minister for Social and Family Affairs.

During the course of the 2009 local elections, Hanafin became embroiled in a number of controversies. In late April, the Mail on Sunday ran a story claiming her office had improperly used Oireachtas envelopes, which are provided at taxpayer expense, to promote a campaign launch for her personal assistant Peter O'Brien who was a candidate in the Dún Laoghaire electoral area. In late May 2009, Hanafin became embroiled in further controversy when a national newspaper ran a story claiming her office had again used tax payer funded resources to promote O'Brien in correspondence to voters in the Dún Laoghaire constituency. O'Brien was not elected at the Local elections.^{[citation needed]}

Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport

On 23 March 2010, Hanafin was moved from Social and Family Affairs to the Tourism, Culture and Sport portfolio. She appointed a Fianna Fáil councillor and friend of Brian Cowen to the board of the Irish Sports Council on her last full day as Tourism, Culture and Sport Minister.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation

Following the resignation of Batt O'Keeffe in January 2011, Hanafin was also appointed as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation.

2011 general election

On 22 January 2011, after the resignation of Brian Cowen, Hanafin put her name forward as a candidate for leader of Fianna Fáil. At the 2011 general election, Hanafin lost her Dail seat to Richard Boyd Barrett of the United Left Alliance. Following a brief withdrawal from public life, in April 2011 the Fianna Fáil National Executive appointed Hanafin as Vice-President of the party.

Personal life

Hanafin married Eamon Leahy, a senior counsel, in 1985. He died suddenly on 17 July 2003, aged 46. The couple had no children.

External links

• Mary Hanafin's official website

Oireachtas
Preceded by Niamh Bhreathnach (Labour Party)	Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for Dún Laoghaire 1997–2011	Succeeded by Richard Boyd Barrett (People Before Profit Alliance)
Political offices
Preceded by Frank Fahey	Minister of State for Children 2000–2002	Succeeded by Brian Lenihan
Preceded by Séamus Brennan	Government Chief Whip 2002–2004	Succeeded by Tom Kitt
	Minister of State at the Department of Defence 2002–2004
Preceded by Noel Dempsey	Minister for Education and Science 2004–2008	Succeeded by Batt O'Keeffe
Preceded by Martin Cullen	Minister for Social and Family Affairs 2008–2010	Succeeded by Éamon Ó Cuív as Minister for Social Protection
Preceded by Martin Cullen as Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism	Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport 2010–2011	Succeeded by Jimmy Deenihan as Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
		Succeeded by Leo Varadkar as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport
Preceded by Batt O'Keeffe	Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation 2011–2011	Succeeded by Richard Bruton as Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation
Party political offices
Preceded by Mary Coughlan	Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil 2011	Succeeded by Brian Lenihan, Jnr
Preceded by ?	Vice President of Fianna Fáil 2011–present	Incumbent