Neil Blaney

Neil Terence Columba Blaney (1 October 1922 – 8 November 1995) was an Irish politician.

Neil Blaney was born in 1922 in the village of Rossnakill in rural Fanad Peninsula in the north of County Donegal, in Ireland.

The second eldest of a family of eleven, Blaney's father Neal had been a commander of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Donegal during the War of Independence and the Civil War.

His father served as both a TD and as a Senator from 1927 through 1948; at which point Neil Blaney succeed him in that role.

It was from his father that Blaney got his strong republican views and his first introduction to politics.

He was educated locally at Tamney on the rugged Fanad Peninsula and later attended St Eunan's College in Letterkenny as a boarder.

Blaney later worked as an organiser with the Irish National Vintners and Grocers Association.

He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1948 as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) representing Donegal East.

Blaney was first elected to Dáil Éireann for the Donegal East constituency in a by-election in December 1948, following the death of his father from cancer.

He also became a member of Donegal County Council.

Upon his election Blaney was the youngest member of the Dáil.

Within the party Blaney gained fame by running the party's by-election campaigns throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

He introduced the concept of cavalcades after his election victories in his constituency together with roadside bonfires.

At the time this was an alien political concept in Ireland.

Blaney also adopted wearing sunglasses, chewing gum and wearing bright ties and colourful suits.

His dedicated bands of supporters earned the sobriquet 'the Donegal Mafia', and succeeded in getting Des O'Malley and Gerry Collins elected to the Dáil.

He remained on the backbenches for a number of years before he was one of a group of young party members handpicked by Seán Lemass to begin a re-organisation drive for the party following the defeat at the 1954 general election.

A high-profile member of the party, Blaney served as a government minister several times; he was Minister for Posts and Telegraphs (1957), Minister for Local Government (1957–1966) and Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries (1966–1970).

Following Fianna Fáil's victory at the 1957 general election Éamon de Valera, as Taoiseach, brought new blood into the Cabinet in the shape of Blaney, Jack Lynch, Kevin Boland and Mícheál Ó Móráin.

Blaney was appointed Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, becoming the first government minister from Donegal, however, he moved to the position of Minister for Local Government at the end of 1957 following the death of Seán Moylan.

Blaney proved to be an innovative minister and his first task as minister was to prepare the groundwork for the referendum to scrap the proportional representation electoral system and replace it with the first-past-the-post voting system.

The referendum failed to be passed, however, Blaney was retained in the post when Lemass succeeded de Valera as Taoiseach in 1959.

In 1963 he introduced the Planning Act to rationalise planning throughout the local authorities in the state.

This act also created the agency, An Forás Forbatha, to bring planning experts together.

His department underwent a very large programme to provide piped water to rural homes.

In 1965 Blaney introduced the Road Traffic Act which required that motorists take a driving test in roadworthy cars.

During his tenure it became possible to pay rates (property taxes) by instalment and he also introduced legislation which entitled non-nationals to vote in local elections.

In 1966 Lemass resigned as Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader.

The subsequent leadership election saw George Colley and Charles Haughey emerge as the two front-runners.

Blaney was unimpressed with the choice and, with the support of the like-minded Kevin Boland, he threw his hat in the ring, declaring himself to be the "Radical Republican" candidate.

However outside the Northwest and apart from Boland, Blaney failed to attract much support.

After some pressure from Lemass the Cork politician, Jack Lynch, entered the race and was deemed to be an unbeatable candidate.

Haughey and Boland withdrew in support of Lynch, however, Colley forced a contest.

He was defeated heavily with Lynch becoming party leader and Taoiseach.

In 1970 Blaney's career was radically altered when, alongside Charles Haughey, he was involved in the Arms Crisis and stood accused of clandestinely arranging to provide weapons to the newly-emergent Provisional Irish Republican Army.

Although later acquitted of wrongdoing in an Irish court, Blaney involvement in the crisis saw him stripped of his ministries and eventually forced his expulsion from Fianna Fáil.

A dogged political campaigner, Blaney managed to retain his seat in Donegal and remained a TD for another two decades, running under the banner of "Independent Fianna Fáil".

In addition to being a TD, Blaney also entered into European politics, becoming a member of the European Parliament in 1979.

Blaney was a holder of both offices when he died in 1995.

Entering the Dáil as its youngest member, he left it as the oldest member.