Donogh O'Malley

Donogh Brendan O'Malley (18 January 1921 – 10 March 1968) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and rugby union player who served as Minister for Education from 1966 to 1968, Minister for Health from 1965 to 1966 and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance from 1961 to 1965.

O'Malley was born in Limerick on 18 January 1921, one of eight surviving children of Joseph O'Malley, civil engineer, and his wife, Mary "Cis" (née Tooher).

Born into a wealthy middle-class family, he was educated by the Jesuits at Crescent College and later at Clongowes Wood College, County Kildare.

It was at a rugby match in Tralee that he first met Dr. Hilda Moriarty (1922–1991), who he would go on to marry in August 1947.

Moriarty was from a Gaeltacht area in Daingean Ui Chuis, County Kerry and assisted him with the Irish language segments of his speeches.

The couple had two children: the actor Daragh O'Malley, and Suzanne, a fashion designer.

O'Malley's wife is famous as Patrick Kavanagh's ideal love in the poem "On Raglan Road".

Prior to meeting Hilda, O'Malley had been engaged to Audrey Harris (sister of the actor Richard Harris) who died tragically at the age of 21.

Lemass introduced younger cabinet ministers, as the old guard who had served the party since its foundation in 1926 began to retire.

Although O'Malley ran as a Fianna Fáil candidate (the party which emerged from the anti-Treaty side in the Irish Civil War), he was born into a politically active family who supported Cumann na nGaedheal (the party which emerged from the pro-Treaty side) until a falling-out with the party in the early 1930s.

He first became involved in local politics as a member of Limerick Corporation.

He later studied at University College Galway (UCG), where he was conferred with a degree in civil engineering in 1943.

He later returned to Limerick, where he worked as an engineer before becoming involved in politics.

O'Malley played rugby at provincial level for Munster, Leinster and Connacht and at club level for Bohemians and Shannon RFC.

His chances at an international career were ruined by the suspension of international fixtures during World War II.

He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick East constituency from 1954 to 1968.

He is best remembered as the Minister who introduced free secondary school education in the Republic of Ireland.

Donogh O'Malley was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD for Limerick East at the 1954 general election; Fianna Fáil was not returned to government on that occasion.

He spent the rest of the decade on the backbenches; however, his party was returned to power in 1957.

Two years later, the modernising process began when Seán Lemass took over from Éamon de Valera as Taoiseach.

O'Malley was part of a new, brasher style of politician that emerged in the 1960s, sometimes nicknamed "the men in the mohair suits".

It was expected that this generation of politician, born after the Civil War, would be a modernising force in post-de Valera Ireland.

Although his sporting background was in rugby and swimming, it was Association football which O'Malley got involved in at a leadership level, becoming President of the Football Association of Ireland despite never having played the sport.

He became Mayor of Limerick in 1961, the third O'Malley brother to hold the office (Desmond O'Malley was mayor from 1941 to 1943, and Michael O'Malley from 1948 to 1949).

O'Malley was a strong electoral performer, topping the poll in every general election he ran in.

In 1961, O'Malley joined the government as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance.

Following Fianna Fáil's retention of power in the 1965 general election, O'Malley joined the cabinet as Minister for Health.

He spent just over a year in this position before he was appointed Minister for Education, a position in which he displayed renowned dynamism.

Having succeeded another dynamic young minister, Patrick Hillery (a political ally and friend who had attended medical school with O'Malley's wife, Hilda) he resolved to act swiftly to introduce the recommendations of an official report on education.

As Minister for Education, O'Malley extended the school transport scheme and commissioned the building of new non-denominational comprehensive and community schools in areas where they were needed.

He introduced Regional Technical Colleges (RTCs), now called Institutes of Technology, in areas where there was no third level college.

The best example of this policy is the University of Limerick, originally an Institute of Higher Education, where O'Malley is credited with taking the steps to ensure that it became a university.

His plan to merge Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin aroused huge controversy, and was not successful, despite being supported by his cabinet colleague Brian Lenihan.

Access to third-level education was also extended, the old scholarship system being replaced by a system of means-tested grants that gave easier access to students without well-off parents.

Mid-twentieth century Ireland experienced significant emigration, especially to the neighbouring United Kingdom where, in addition to employment opportunities, there was a better state provision of education and healthcare.

Social change in Ireland and policies intending to correct this deficit were often met with strong resistance, such as Noël Browne's proposed Mother and Child Scheme.

As a former Health Minister, O'Malley had first-hand experience of running the department which had attempted to introduce this scheme and understood the processes that caused it to fail, such as resistance from Department of Finance and John Charles McQuaid.

This influenced his strategy in presenting the free-education proposal.

Shortly after O'Malley was appointed, he announced that from 1969 all education up to Intermediate Certificate level would be without cost, and free buses would bring students in rural areas to their nearest school.

O'Malley seems to have made this decision himself without consulting other ministers; however, he did discuss it with Lemass.