The late Mary O'Rourke: a formidable force in local and national politics

By Tadhg Carey and Rebekah O'Reilly

From a family deeply rooted in the political and business life of an emerging nation, Mary O'Rourke, who passed away today aged 87, rose to the top of national politics in a stellar career spanning almost 40 years.

A formidable, quick-witted, and agile politician, Mary O'Rourke's time at the zenith of national politics came during an era when, in the words of Taoiseach Simon Harris this afternoon, politics was very much "a boys club".

She served in three senior ministerial posts - as Minister for Education between 1987 to 1991, Minister for Health from 1991 to 1992 and Minister for Public Enterprise from 1997 to 2002.

She told Valerie Cox in a book, 'When I was your age' published in 2022, that she had a a special affinity with the Education portfolio. “I held different ministries and that, but I really loved education. I felt like you could really do some good with it,” Mary said.

Her father, PJ Lenihan, was a TD for Longford-Westmeath, under both Seán Lemass and then Jack Lynch. Mary and her brother, the late Brian Lenihan Senior, were the first siblings to serve in cabinet. Her late brother Paddy was also an active politician.

She was hugely proud of her sons, Feargal, and Aengus. Her dearly beloved husband, Enda, died in 2001.

She was hugely proud too of her nephews, the late Finance Minister, Brian, and Conor,

A native of Athlone, she had strong memories growing up of the Gentex factory, which at the time was managed by her late father, PJ Lenihan.

Her family subsequently purchased the Hodson Bay Hotel, in the 1950s, and which was where, at the age of 18, she met her future husband, Enda.

O'Rourke worked as a secondary school teacher before starting her political career, which began on Athlone Urban District Council between 1974 and 1987, and on Westmeath County Council between 1979 and 1987.

She was elected to Seanad Éireann in 1981 as a Senator for the Cultural and Educational Panel and stood unsuccessfully for the Dáil at the February 1982 general election, but was subsequently re-elected to the Seanad.

At the November 1982 general election, she was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD for the Longford–Westmeath constituency, a seat she retained in the 1987 and 1989 general elections.

With the redrawing of constituencies, she was also returned to Dáil Éireann in 1992, and 1997 for the standalone Westmeath constituency, before losing her seat in 2002.

O'Rourke served as Minister for Education from 1987 to 1991, Minister for Health from 1991 to 1992 and Minister for Public Enterprise from 1997 to 2002.

She also served as a Minister of State for Trade and Marketing in 1992 and for Labour Affairs from from 1993 to 1994 and was Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2002.

Mary ran against Albert Reynolds for the leadership of Fianna Fáil in 1992 after the forced retirement of Charlie Haughey.

Having lost her Dail seat in 2002, she was nominated to the Cultural and Educational Panel of the Seanad, by the Taoiseach, until 2007. During that time she was Leader of the Seanad and Leader of Fianna Fáil in the Seanad.

She regained a Dáil seat at a general election in 2007, before bowing out of active politics after unsuccessfully contesting the 2011 general election.

Throughout all of this, she was a political colossus in Athlone, a key figure in the economic, social and educational growth of the town - someone who was at the heart of, or close to, most of the major decisions that helped to shape the town as it is today.

After a long and distinguished political career, Mary O’Rourke became a very successful writer with two best-selling books to her name.

Her first book, a memoir, 'Just Mary', published in 2012, was a No 1.

She told this paper how she decided to write the memoir the night she lost her Dáil seat in February 2011.

Mary followed this up with another successful work, 'Letters of My Life', which was published in 2016. It featured a collection of letters she had written to 20 people who had made an impression on her.

She became ill in December 2021, and was in and out of hospital for a number of months, before in mid 2022, taking up residence in Dublin during her recovery.

She passed away today at the age of 87.