Máire Geoghegan-Quinn

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 February 2010
President	José Manuel Barroso
Preceded by	Janez Potočnik (Science and Research)
Minister for Equality and Law Reform Acting
In office 18 November 1994 – 15 December 1994
Preceded by	Mervyn Taylor
Succeeded by	Mervyn Taylor
Minister for Justice
In office 4 January 1993 – 15 December 1994
Preceded by	Pádraig Flynn
Succeeded by	Nora Owen
Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communications
In office 11 February 1992 – 12 January 1993
Preceded by	Séamus Brennan
Succeeded by	Charlie McCreevy
Minister for the Gaeltacht
In office 11 December 1979 – 30 June 1981
Preceded by	Denis Gallagher
Succeeded by	Paddy O'Toole
Personal details
Born	5 September 1950 (1950-09-05) (age 61) Carna, County Galway, Ireland
Political party	Fianna Fáil
Spouse(s)	John Quinn
Children	2
Alma mater	Our Lady of Mercy College, Carysfort
Profession	Teacher
Website	Official website

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn (born 5 September 1950) is an Irish politician, and is the current European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science. She previously served as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway West constituency from 1975 to 1997.^[1] She served as Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communications (1992–1993) and as Minister for Justice (1993–94).

Early and personal life

Máire Geoghegan was born in Carna, County Galway in September 1950. She was educated at Coláiste Muire, Tourmakeady, in County Mayo and at Carysfort College in Blackrock from where she qualified as a teacher. She is married to John Quinn, with whom she has two children.

In 1996, she wrote The Green Diamond, a novel about four young women sharing a house in Dublin in the 1960s.

Political career

Her father, Johnny Geoghegan, was Fianna Fáil TD for Galway West from 1954 until his death in 1975. His daughter successfully contested the subsequent by-election.^[2] From 1977 and 1979 she worked as Parliamentary Secretary (Junior Minister) at the Department of Industry, Commerce and Energy. She served as a member of Galway City Council from 1985–91.

Geoghegan-Quinn supported Charles Haughey in the 1979 Fianna Fáil leadership election, she was subsequently appointed to the cabinet post of Minister for the Gaeltacht. Thus, she became the first woman to hold an Irish cabinet post since 1922, when Countess Markievicz was Minister for Labour in the First Dáil starting 1919. In 1981 Labour Party's Eileen Desmond became the next woman to hold a cabinet post.

In 1982 she was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Education. Her tenure was short, because the 23rd Dáil lasted only 279 days, and a Fine Gael–Labour Party coalition was elected at the November 1982 general election.

When Fianna Fáil returned to power after the 1987 general election, Geoghegan-Quinn became Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach. She resigned in 1991 in opposition to Charles Haughey's leadership of the party. The following year Albert Reynolds, whom she now backed for the leadership, became Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader. Geoghegan-Quinn was appointed Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communications for her loyalty to Reynolds. In 1993 she became Minister for Justice, introducing substantial law reform legislation, including the decriminalisation of homosexuality.

When Reynolds resigned in November 1994, she was seen as his preferred successor for the leadership of the party.^[3] She stood against Bertie Ahern and a win would have made her the first female Taoiseach. On the day of the vote, however, she withdrew from the contest 'in the interests of party unity'. It is was reported that she had the support of only 15 members of the 66-strong parliamentary party.^[4]

At the 1997 general election she retired from politics completely, citing privacy issues, after details about her 17-year old son's expulsion from school appeared in the newspapers. "If his mother had been a homemaker, an architect or a businesswoman, this simply would not have happened," she commented.^[5] Other reports suggested that she saw her prospects for promotion under Ahern as poor,^[6] and a weak showing in constituency opinion polls indicated her seat could be in danger.^[7] She became a non-executive director of Aer Lingus, a member of the Board of the Declan Ganley owned Ganley Group and wrote a column for The Irish Times.

In 1999 she was appointed to the European Court of Auditors replacing former TD Barry Desmond. She was appointed for a second term at the Court of Auditors in March 2006.

She was nominated by the Taoiseach Brian Cowen to become Ireland's European Commissioner in November 2009.^[8] and was subsequently allocated the Research, Innovation and Science portfolio.^[9]

In April 2010, after numerous calls over several days^{[citation needed]} on Geoghegan-Quinn to surrender her pensions as a former Irish politician, which are worth over €104,000 while still in a paid public office, she did so.^[10] Her salary in April 2010 as a European Commissioner is €243,000.

References

1. ^ "Mrs. Máire Geoghegan-Quinn". Oireachtas Members Database. http://oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=0&HouseNum=27&MemberID=454&ConstID=108. Retrieved 13 November 2009. 
2. ^ "Máire Geoghegan-Quinn". ElectionsIreland.org. http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=3171. Retrieved 13 November 2009. 
3. ^ David Sharrock, "New coalition likely to avert Irish poll; Finance minister looks certain to take over from Reynolds", The Guardian, 19 November 1994.
4. ^ John Burns, "Softly, softly, says Ahern", The Sunday Times, 20 November 1994.
5. ^ Alan Murdoch, "Media blamed as Ireland's first woman cabinet minister quits", The Independent, 28 January 1997.
6. ^ Denis Coughlan, "Maybe more than a matter of family privacy Maire Geoghegan-Quinn will be a big loss to Fianna Fail, but the denizens of Leinster House are already calling 'next business'," Irish Times, 28 January 1997
7. ^ John Burns and Rory Godson, "Desperately seeking candidates", The Sunday Times 19 January 1997.
8. ^ Geoghegan-Quinn is Irish nominee to commission
9. ^ Barroso unveils new Commission line-up
10. ^ Sam Smyth: Ministers give up their aul' sins in bonfire of the vanities

External links

• Máire Geoghegan-Quinn Official Media Gallery
• Official website

Oireachtas
Preceded by Johnny Geoghegan	Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for Galway West 1975–1997	Succeeded by Frank Fahey
Political offices
Preceded by John Bruton	Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy 1977–1978	Succeeded by Herself as Minister of State for Consumer Affairs
Preceded by Herself as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Commerce	Minister of State for Consumer Affairs 1978–1979	Succeeded by Ray Burke
Preceded by Denis Gallagher	Minister for the Gaeltacht 1979–1981	Succeeded by Paddy O'Toole
Preceded by Michael Keating	Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sport 1982	Succeeded by Donal Creed
New office	Minister of State for the Co-ordination of Government Policy and EEC Matters 1987–1991	Succeeded by Michael Kitt
Preceded by Séamus Brennan	Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communications 1992–1993	Succeeded by Charlie McCreevy
Preceded by Pádraig Flynn	Minister for Justice 1993–1994	Succeeded by Nora Owen
Preceded by Mervyn Taylor	Minister for Equality and Law Reform 1994	Succeeded by Mervyn Taylor
Preceded by Charlie McCreevy	Irish European Commissioner 2010–present	Incumbent
Preceded by Janez Potočnik as European Commissioner for Science and Research	European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science 2010–present

Persondata
Name	Geoghegan-Quinn, Maire
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	5 September 1950
Place of birth	Carna, County Galway, Ireland
Date of death
Place of death