Pádraig Flynn

Infobox Politician
name = Pádraig Flynn
honorific-suffix =
nationality =

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office = European Commissioner
Representing Ireland
term_start = 1993
term_end = 1999
predecessor = Ray MacSharry
successor = David Byrne
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spouse =
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residence =
children = 4 cite web |url= http://ec.europa.eu/archives/1995_99/commissioners/en/flynn.htm|title= Profile of Pádraig Flynn
work= Europa (web portal)
accessdate=2008-05-19]
alma_mater =
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birth_date = Birth date and age|1939|5|9|df=y
birth_place = Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland
death_date =
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constituency3 =
party = Fianna Fáil|

Pádraig "Pee" Flynn (born 9 May 1939)cite web |url=http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?MemberFirstName=P%E1draig&MemberName=flynn&restr=0&disp=src&housetype=&HouseNum=&ConstID=
title= Pádraig Flynn - Members Database
work= Houses of the Oireachtas Website
accessdate=2008-05-19] is a former Irish politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD in 1977. He was returned at each subsequent election until 1993. During this time he served as Minister for Trade, Commerce & Tourism (1982), Minister for the Environment (1987–1991), Minister for Justice (1992–1993) and Minister for Industry & Commerce (1992–1993). Flynn served as European Commissioner from 1993 until 1999.

Early life

Flynn was born in Castlebar, Co. Mayo. He is the son of Patrick and Anne Flynn.cite news
last = Quinlan
first = Ronald
coauthors =
title = The Mighty Flynns and their dogged belief that they are always in the right
work = Sunday Independent
pages =
language =
publisher =
date = Wednesday, 1 July 2007
url =http://www.independent.ie/national-news/the-mighty-flynns-and-their-dogged-belief-that-they-are-always-in-the-right-892586.html| accessdate = 2008-05-20] He was educated in St. Gerald's College, Castlebar and qualified as a teacher from St. Patrick's Training College in Dublin. His mother owned a small shop in Castlebar. He was married in 1963. His wife's name is Dorothy. They have four children — one son, Turlough, and three daughters, Sharon, Audrey and Beverley. Beverley Flynn is also a politician.

He first held political office in 1967 when he became a member of Mayo County Council. Ten years later, in the 1977 general election, he was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD for the Mayo West constituency. On his first day in the Dáil he arrived in a white suit and black shirt, certainly earmarking himself as one of Dáil Éireann's more colourful characters over the next fifteen years.

Ministerial career

Flynn was a supporter of Charles Haughey in the 1979 Fianna Fáil leadership contest. His loyalty was rewarded when he became a Minister of State at the Department of Transport and Power. Flynn joined the Cabinet table for the first time in 1982 when in October he was appointed Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism. However, his time in office was brief, since Fianna Fáil lost the November 1982 general election.

Fianna Fáil was returned to power in the 1987 general election and Flynn became Minister for the Environment. Two years later he opposed the formation of the coalition government with the Progressive Democrats, describing it "as hitting at Fianna Fáil core values." In 1990 his attack on the suitability of presidential candidate Mary Robinson (because she was "a wife and mother") backfired drastically, causing many women to back Robinson, who won the election. The controversy also made Flynn appear to be a backwards- looking arch-conservative misogynist in the eyes of many with one satirist dubbing him "Flynn-stone". In 1991 Flynn was sacked from the Cabinet because of his support for a motion of no confidence in the Taoiseach, Charles Haughey. The following year Albert Reynolds became Taoiseach. Flynn was rewarded for supporting Reynolds by becoming Minister for Justice. In 1993 he retired from domestic politics when he was appointed Ireland's EU Commissioner. He was re-appointed by the Fine Gael government in 1995 and on both of these occasions he served in the Social Affairs portfolio.

Retirement from politics

Flynn's second term as Commissioner ended early in September 1999 when the entire commission resigned due to allegations of malpractice by the European Parliament. He was not reappointed to the Commission and retired from politics completely. He is a member of the Comite d'Honneur of the Institute of European Affairs. Flynn's daughter Beverley Flynn is currently a Fianna Fail TD for the Mayo constituency. She was readmitted to the party on April 8 2008 having previously been expelled after failing in a libel action against RTE which claimed she was involved in selling bogus non-resident accounts to customers while she worked for National Irish Bank.

Allegations of Corruption

Flynn has been cited in the Mahon Tribunal for having received £50,000 from Frank Dunlop intended for Fianna Fáil, but diverted to Flynn's personal use.cite news
last =
first =
coauthors =
title = P. Flynn’s day of reckoning
work = Western People
pages =
language =
publisher =
date = Wednesday, 14 July 2004
url =http://archives.tcm.ie/westernpeople/2004/07/14/story20570.asp| accessdate = 2008-05-19] cite news
last =
first =
coauthors =
title = Flynn due back in Mahon Tribunal witness box today
work = Irish Independent
pages =
language =
publisher =
date = Wednesday, 9 April 2008
url = http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/national-news/flynn-due-back-in-mahon-tribunal-witness-box-today-1342431.html| accessdate = 2008-05-19]

References

ee also

* Deposit Interest Retention Tax

External links

* cite web |url= http://www.electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=3200
title= Pádraig Flynn’s electoral history
work= ElectionsIreland.org
accessdate=2008-05-19
* cite web |url= http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6348534829955569321
title= Video of Pádraig Flynn being interviewed by Gay Byrne on the Late Late Show in January 1999
work= video.google.com
accessdate=2008-05-19

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