Patrick Cooney

Patrick "Paddy" Mark Cooney ( Irish Pádraig Ó Cuana , born March 2, 1931 in Dublin ) is an Irish politician of the Fine Gael , former member of the European Parliament and Minister.

biography

Cooney completed a law degree and subsequently worked as a consulting lawyer ( solicitor ).

He began his political career as a candidate for the Fine Gael on April 14, 1970 with his by-election for MP ( Teachta Dála ) of the Lower House ( Dáil Éireann ). There he represented the constituency of Longford-Westmeath until 1977 . After he had not been re-elected to the House of Commons in 1977, he was elected a member of the Senate ( Seanad Éireann ) shortly thereafter . There he represented the interests of the culture and education group until 1981. Between 1981 and 1989 he was again representative of the constituency of Longford-Westmeath of the Dáil.

Cooney was appointed Minister of Justice to the Cabinet of Prime Minister ( Taoiseach ) Liam Cosgrave on March 14, 1973 and held that post until the end of Cosgrave's reign on July 5, 1977. Prime Minister Garret FitzGerald appointed him Minister of Transport between June 1981 and March 1982 as well Minister for Post and Telegraphy in his cabinet. After FitzGerald was again Prime Minister on December 14, 1982, this appointed Cooney as Secretary of Defense . As part of a cabinet reshuffle, he handed over the office of Minister of Defense on February 14, 1986 to the previous Minister for Fisheries and Forestry, Paddy O'Toole , while he himself took over the office of Minister of Education until March 10, 1987.

In 1989 he decided not to run for the lower house again after he was elected member of the European Parliament on June 15, 1989 . He was a member of the European Parliament until the end of the 1994 electoral term.

Web links

• Irish Ministries
• Short biography on rulers.org
• Entry on the side of the Oireachtas
• Entry for Patrick Cooney in the database of Members of the European Parliament