Raphael Patrick Burke is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from June 1997 to October 1997, Minister for Justice from 1989 to 1992, Minister for Communications from 1987 to 1991, Minister for Industry and Commerce from 1988 to 1989, Minister for Energy from 1987 to 1988, Minister for the Environment from March 1982 to December 1982 and 1980 to 1981 and Minister of State at the Department of Industry, Commerce and Energy from 1979 to 1980. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1973 to 1997.
Jim Mitchell was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Deputy Leader of Fine Gael from 2001 to 2002, Minister for Communications from 1984 to 1987, Minister for Transport and Minister for Posts and Telegraphs from 1982 to 1984, Minister for Justice from 1981 to 1982 and Lord Mayor of Dublin from 1976 to 1977. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1977 to 2002.
The 1977 Irish general election was held on Thursday, 16 June and is regarded as a pivotal point in twentieth-century Irish politics. Jack Lynch led Fianna Fáil to a landslide election win. The general election took place in 42 parliamentary constituencies throughout Ireland for 148 seats in the lower house of parliament, Dáil Éireann. Under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1974, there were significant changes to constituency boundaries and the number of seats in the Dáil was increased by 4 from 144 to 148. The 21st Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 5 July, when a new Fianna Fáil government replaced the incumbent Fine Gael–Labour Party coalition. Jack Lynch became Taoiseach for the second time.
Michael Lowry is an Irish Independent politician who has served as a Teachta Dála (TD) since 1987, currently for the Tipperary constituency. He previously served as Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications from 1994 to 1996 and Chairman of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party from 1993 to 1994.
The Moriarty Tribunal, officially called the Tribunal of Inquiry into certain Payments to Politicians and Related Matters, was an Irish Tribunal of Inquiry established in 1997 into the financial affairs of politicians Charles Haughey and Michael Lowry. It has revealed significant tax evasion by these and other politicians and leading businessmen. As a consequence, the tax authorities have recovered millions of euro in settlements and penalties from many individuals. The final report of the tribunal was expected to be published in mid-January 2010, but was delayed and was published 22 March 2011.
Oliver James Flanagan was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Defence from 1976 to 1977 and as a Parliamentary Secretary from 1954 to 1957 and from 1975 to 1976. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Laois-Offaly constituency from 1943 to 1987. He was Father of the Dáil from 1977 to 1987.
7 Days is an Irish current affairs television programme presented by Brian Farrell, Brian Cleeve and John O'Donoghue which was broadcast on RTÉ One from 1966 until 1976.
The Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments commonly known as the Mahon Tribunal after the name of its last chairman, was a public inquiry in Ireland established by Dáil Éireann in 1997 to investigate allegations of corrupt payments to politicians regarding political decisions. It mostly investigated planning permissions and land rezoning issues in the 1990s in the Dublin County Council area. Judge Alan Mahon was the final chair of the tribunal and its other members were Judge Mary Faherty and Judge Gerald Keys. The original Chairman, who was the sole member until just before his retirement, was Judge Feargus Flood, giving rise to the original common name of the Flood Tribunal.
Fianna Fáil was founded on 23 March 1926 when a group of Dáil deputies led by Éamon de Valera split from the original Sinn Féin. This happened because de Valera's motion calling for elected members be allowed to take their seats in the Dáil, if and when the controversial Oath of Allegiance was removed, failed to pass at the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis. The new party adopted its name on 2 April of the same year. From the formation of the first Fianna Fáil government on 9 March 1932 until the 2011 general election, the party was in power for 61 of 79 years. Its longest continuous period in office was 15 years and 11 months. Its single longest period out of office, in that time, has been four years and four months. All eight of its party's leaders have served as Taoiseach. It was the largest party in Dáil Éireann at every general election from the 1932 general election until the 2011 general election, when it suffered the worst defeat of a sitting government in the history of the Irish state.
Thomas Aloysius Finlay was an Irish judge, politician and barrister who served as Chief Justice of Ireland and a Judge of the Supreme Court from 1985 to 1994, President of the High Court from 1974 to 1985 and a Judge of the High Court from 1971 to 1985. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South-Central constituency from 1954 to 1957.
The sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cloyne was investigated by the Commission of Investigation, Dublin Archdiocese, Catholic Diocese of Cloyne, examining how allegations of sexual abuse of children in the diocese were dealt with by the church and state. The investigation was led by Judge Yvonne Murphy, The Cloyne Report, and published in July 2011. The inquiry was ordered to look at child protection practices in the diocese and how it dealt with complaints against 19 priests made from 1996.
Harry Whelehan is an Irish barrister and judge who served as President of the High Court from 15 November 1994 to 17 November 1994, a Judge of the High Court from November 1994 to December 1994 and Attorney General of Ireland from 1991 to 1994.
Liam Hamilton was an Irish judge and barrister who served as Chief Justice of Ireland and a Judge of the Supreme Court from 1994 to 2000, President of the High Court from 1985 to 1994 and a Judge of the High Court from 1974 to 1994.
Seán Barrett is a former Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 2011 to 2016, Minister for Defence and Minister for the Marine from 1995 to 1997, Government Chief Whip from 1982 to 1986 and 1994 to 1995. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency from 1981 to 2002 and 2007 to 2020.
Transparency International's 2017 Corruption Perception Index ranks the country 19th place out of 180 countries. During the years before the Celtic Tiger (1995–2007), political corruption was at its worst with many politicians suspected of corruption, while financial corruption was at its peak during the Celtic Tiger years. In 2003 Ireland signed the United Nations Convention against Corruption treaty and ratified it on 11 November 2011.
Susan O'Keeffe is an Irish journalist and former Labour Party politician.
Laurence "Larry" Goodman is an Irish businessman, chiefly involved in the beef processing industry. He is the 6th generation of a livestock and meat exporting family and founded what is now ABP Food Group in 1954. He is the Executive Chairman of the company which has grown to become one of Europe’s largest agri-business companies with 51 processing plants in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Denmark, Holland, Austria, Poland. ABP employs over 11,000 people. Separately, the Goodman family office has business interests in property, healthcare and productive arable and beef farming.
The Thirty-fifth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2015 was a proposed amendment to the constitution of Ireland to reduce the minimum age of candidacy for the office of President of Ireland from 35 to 21. The bill was introduced to the Oireachtas in January 2015 by the Fine Gael–Labour government, after which both houses of the Oireachtas passed the bill. The bill was rejected by the electorate in a referendum on 22 May 2015 by 73.1% against to 26.9% in favour. This was the largest losing margin of any referendum in Ireland.
