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Henry Kenny

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Henry Kenny
Parliamentary Secretary
1973–1975Finance
Teachta Dála
In office
June 1969 – 25 September 1975
ConstituencyMayo West
In office
June 1954 – June 1969
ConstituencyMayo South
Personal details
Born(1913-09-07)7 September 1913
Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland
Died25 September 1975(1975-09-25) (aged 62)
Swinford, County Mayo, Ireland
Political partyFine Gael
Spouse
Eithne McGinley
​
(m. 1944)​
Children5, including Enda
EducationSt Gerald's College, Castlebar
Alma materSt Patrick's College, Dublin

Henry Frances Kenny (7 September 1913 – 25 September 1975) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Minister of State at the Department of Finance from 1973 to 1975. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1954 to 1975. He was the father of former Taoiseach Enda Kenny.[1]

He was also a Gaelic footballer who won an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medal with the Mayo county team in 1936.

Early life

Kenny was born on Main Street, Castlebar, County Mayo, in 1913. He was educated at the local St Patrick's national school and St Gerald's College. He subsequently attended St Patrick's College in Drumcondra, Dublin, where he qualified as a national school teacher. After graduation he taught in Connemara and Williamstown, County Galway, before being appointed principal of Leitir national school in Islandeady, County Mayo.

Football career

Club

He played his club Gaelic football with Castlebar Mitchels club, and won several county senior championship medals in the 1930s.

Inter-county

Kenny's performances at club level earned him a place on the senior Mayo county team. He was a member of the record-breaking Mayo team that won six consecutive National Football League titles from 1934 until 1939. Kenny also won an All-Ireland winners' medal in 1936.

Political career

His entry into politics was unusual in the sense that neither he nor his family were steeped in politics at the time. In spite of this he was elected to Dáil Éireann at his first attempt, at the 1954 general election, as a Fine Gael Teachta Dála (TD) for the Mayo South constituency.[2] The election saw Fine Gael enter government as the lead party in the country's second inter-party government. Kenny, as a new TD, remained on the backbenches; however, he was subsequently elected to Mayo County Council.

Kenny retained his seat at the 1957 general election; however, Fine Gael lost power as Fianna Fáil began sixteen years of uninterrupted government. During that time he retained his Dáil seat at every general election, moving to the Mayo West constituency in 1969. That same year he was appointed Fine Gael spokesperson on the Board of Works, a position he held until 1972. The results of the 1973 general election saw Fine Gael and the Labour Party form a coalition government. Kenny was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance where he had responsibility for the Board of Works.

Death and private life

Two years after being appointed to the government, Kenny was diagnosed with cancer. He died on 25 September 1975. He married Eithne McGinley in 1944 and they had five children. His son, Enda Kenny, was elected to the Dáil at the by-election in 1975.[3][4] Another son, also Henry Kenny, was a member of Mayo County Council from 1999 to 2019.[5] His widow Eithne Kenny died at the age of 93 in Castlebar on 26 November 2011.[6][7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Henry Kenny". Oireachtas Members Database. 30 July 1975. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
  2. ^ "Henry Kenny". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
  3. ^ "The Restaurant: Enda Kenny". RTÉ Television. Archived from the original on 3 March 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
  4. ^ Siggins, Lorna (18 June 2010). "Only for Enda, there wouldn't be a Fine Gael party today". The Irish Times.
  5. ^ "Henry Kenny Jnr". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
  6. ^ "Taoiseach's mother dies at the age of 93". Irish Independent. 26 November 2011.
  7. ^ "Enda Kenny's mother dies aged 93". RTÉ News. 28 November 2011.
Political offices
Preceded by Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance
1973–1975 		Succeeded by
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