Mary Harney

Mary Harney (born 11 March, 1953) is an Irish politician who has been the leader of the Progressive Democrats (the sixth largest political party in Ireland) since 1993. A Teachta Dála for Dublin Mid West she currently serves as Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children. Harney is currently the longest-serving female member of Dáil Éireann.

Early & Private Life

Mary Harney was born in Ballinasloe, County Galway in 1953. Her parents were both farmers but her family moved to Newcastle, County Dublin shortly after her birth. She was educated at the Convent of Mercy, Inchicore and Presentation Convent, Clondalkin before studying at Trinity College, Dublin.

During her time at university she made history by becoming the first female auditor of the College Historical Society. In 1976 she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Studies and for a brief time was a secondary school teacher at Castleknock College in Dublin.

In November 2001 Harney married Brian Geoghegan, a business leader, in a low-key afternoon ceremony in Dublin on a day in which she attended to a number of other significant political meetings.

Fianna Fáil

It wasn't long before Harney's name was mentioned in political circles. She came to the attention of Fianna Fáil leader Jack Lynch and stood unsuccessfully as a Fianna Fáil candidate in the 1977 general election. As a consolation she was appointed to Seanad Éireann by Lynch who had become Taoiseach. At 24 she holds the record as the youngest Senator in Irish history.

In 1979 Harney had her first electoral success when she was elected to Dublin County Council. Two years later she was successfully elected to the Dáil in the 1981 general election for Dublin South West. She has retained her seat at every election since then, moving to the new Dublin Mid West constituency in 2002 when it was created from part of Dublin South West. Like many others in Fianna Fáil Harney faced a number of problems from party leader Charles J. Haughey. She was expelled from the party after voting in favour of the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985.

Progressive Democrats

Harney went on the become a founder-member of the Progressive Democrats with Desmond O'Malley and Bobby Molloy in 1986. Many other disaffected TDs followed suit. The new political party put the economic recovery of the country at the top of their political priorities.

In 1989 the Progressive Democrats entered into a coalition government with Charles Haughey's Fianna Fáil. Harney was appointed Minister of State with responsibility for Environmental Protection. As Minister of State she banned the sale of bituminous coal in Dublin, thus eliminating the city's famous smog.

She served in this position until the party withdrew from government in late 1992. In February 1993 Harney was appointed deputy-leader of the Progressive Democrats, becoming party leader in October of that year. She became the first woman to lead an Irish political party with parliamentary representatation when she succeeded Desmond O'Malley as leader.

In Government

Following the 1997 general election and lengthy negotiations the Progressive Democrats entered into coalition government with Fianna Fáil. Harney was appointed the first female Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment. As Minister she presided over a boom in the Irish economy which resulted in a record number of jobs being created.

Following the 2002 general election Harney led the Progressive Democrats, who had doubled their seats from four to eight, back into coalition with Fianna Fáil, the first time a government had been re-elected since 1969. She was re-appointed Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment but was reported in 2003 as seeking a change. In a government reshuffle on September 29 2004, she was appointed Minister for Health & Children, something of a poisoned chalice in Irish politics. Cynics coined the term Mary Harney Ward referring to patients on trolleys in Tallaght Hospital. (This isn't limited to this hospital only - it has been noted in many hospitals while she and Micheál Martin held that portfolio.)

Harney was Ireland's representative to the European Council of Ministers for the Software Patents Directive. Since the Council's first reading fell during the Irish Presidency of the European Council, she was chair of the meeting that discarded the amendments by the European Parliament which confirmed the exclusion of software innovations from what constitutes patentable subject matter.

Political career

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