Noel Davern

Noel Davern
Minister for Education
In office 14 November 1991 – 11 February 1992
Taoiseach	Charles Haughey
Preceded by	Mary O'Rourke
Succeeded by	Séamus Brennan
Teachta Dála
In office February 1987 – May 2007
In office June 1969 – May 1981
Constituency	Tipperary South
Member of the European Parliament
In office June 1979 – June 1984
Constituency	Munster
Personal details
Born	(1945-12-24)24 December 1945 Cashel, County Tipperary
Died	27 October 2013(2013-10-27) (aged 67)
Nationality	Irish
Political party	Fianna Fáil
Spouse	Anne Marie
Children	3

(Michael Christopher) Noel Davern (24 December 1945 – 27 October 2013) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for Tipperary South from 1969 to 1981 and from 1987 until he retired from politics at the 2007 general election. He was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1979 to 1984, and served as Minister for Education from 1991 to 1992.

Career

Davern was born in Cashel, County Tipperary and educated at CBS Cashel and at Franciscan College in County Meath. His family had a long political tradition. His father Michael Davern was a Fianna Fáil TD from 1948 to 1965, when he was succeeded in Dáil Éireann by Noel's brother Don Davern. After Don's sudden death in 1968, the seat remained vacant until Noel was elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1969 general election.

At the 1979 European Parliament election he was elected as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Munster constituency. He did not contest the 1981 general election so as to concentrate on his European career. However, he lost his seat at the European Parliament at the 1984 European Parliament election.

Davern was again elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1987 general election, and came to national prominence in 1991 when he was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister for Education. This was in the wake of Albert Reynolds and Pádraig Flynn's failed attempt to oust Charles Haughey as Taoiseach. Davern's stay in government was short-lived because Reynolds became Taoiseach in early 1992 and he was again sent to the backbenches. In 1995 he became Opposition Spokesman on European Affairs when Bertie Ahern named his new front bench. Fianna Fáil were returned to government and Davern became Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food. He served in that position until 2002.

Davern was one of only three Members of the 29th Dáil who had first been elected in the 1960s, the others being Séamus Pattison, elected at the 1961 general election and Michael Smith, also elected at the 1969 general election.

He died on 27 October 2013.

See also

• Families in the Oireachtas

External links

• European Parliament profile