Brendan Daly (politician)

Brendan Daly
Minister for Social Welfare
In office 13 November 1991 – 11 February 1992
Taoiseach	Charles Haughey
Preceded by	Michael Woods
Succeeded by	Charlie McCreevy
Minister for Defence
In office 5 February – 14 November 1991
Taoiseach	Charles Haughey
Preceded by	Charles Haughey (acting)
Succeeded by	Vincent Brady
Minister for the Marine
In office 10 March 1987 – 12 July 1989
Taoiseach	Charles Haughey
Preceded by	Paddy O'Toole
Succeeded by	John Wilson
Minister for Fisheries and Forestry
In office 9 March – 14 December 1982
Taoiseach	Charles Haughey
Preceded by	Paddy O'Toole
Succeeded by	Tom Fitzpatrick
Minister of State
1992–1993	Foreign Affairs
1989–1991	Finance
1989–1991	Taoiseach
1980–1981	Labour
Senator
In office 12 September 2002 – 13 September 2007
Constituency	Labour Panel
In office 17 February 1993 – 6 June 1997
Constituency	Agricultural Panel
In office 3 December 1992 – 17 February 1993
Constituency	Nominated by the Taoiseach
Teachta Dála
In office June 1997 – May 2002
In office February 1973 – November 1992
Constituency	Clare
Personal details
Born	(1940-02-02)2 February 1940 Cooraclare, County Clare, Ireland
Died	6 July 2023(2023-07-06) (aged 83) County Clare, Ireland
Political party	Fianna Fáil
Spouse	Patricia Carmody ​ ​ (m. 1970; died 2014)​
Children	3

Brendan Daly (2 February 1940 – 6 July 2023) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a long-serving Teachta Dála (TD) for the Clare constituency, a government minister, and Senator.

Life and career

Daly was born on 2 February 1940 in Cooraclare, County Clare, and educated locally at CBS Kilrush school. His political career began at the 1973 general election, when he was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD for Clare. He held his seat at six further general elections before losing it at the 1992 general election. He was returned at the 1997 general election but was defeated again in the 2002 general election.

Daly was a strong supporter of Charles Haughey during his period as Fianna Fáil leader. In 1980 Daly became Minister of State at the Department of Labour. In 1982 he joined the Cabinet as Minister for Fisheries and Forestry. When Fianna Fáil returned to power after the 1987 general election he once again became a minister, this time as Minister for the Marine in the 20th Government of Ireland.

Daly was not re-appointed a minister when Fianna Fáil entered into coalition with the Progressive Democrats after the 1989 general election, but was appointed Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach with responsibility for Heritage Affairs and Minister of State at the Department of Finance with responsibility for the Office of Public Works. He returned to the cabinet in February 1991 as Minister for Defence. In November Albert Reynolds and Pádraig Flynn were sacked from the government and Daly was appointed Minister for Social Welfare. His time in cabinet was short-lived; in February 1992, Haughey resigned as Taoiseach and was succeeded by Reynolds, who did not appoint Daly to cabinet. He was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs from February 1992.

Daly lost his Dáil seat in the election that year, retaining his position as Minister of State until the formation of a new government in January 1993. He contested the Seanad election on the Agricultural Panel, and was returned to the 20th Seanad.

Daly was re-elected to the Dáil at the 1997 general election but lost his seat at the 2002 general election. He stood for election to the 22nd Seanad on the Labour Panel, and was returned to the Seanad for a second time. He was unsuccessful again at 2007 general election, and did not contest the subsequent elections to the 23rd Seanad. He then retired from public life.

Brendan Daly was married to Patricia Carmody of Kilrush, County Clare, from the early 1970s until her death in 2014; they had three children. Daly died on 6 July 2023, aged 83.