From TheBestLinks.com
Albert Reynolds (born November 3, 1932) was the eighth Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland from 1992 to 1994. He was first elected in 1977 and retained his Dáil seat until his retirement in 2002. Reynolds has served as Minister for Posts & Telegraphs (1979-1981), Minister for Transport (1980-1981), Minister for Industry & Energy (1982), Minister for Industry & Commerce (1987-1988) and Minister for Finance (1988-1991). He became the fifth leader of Fianna Fáil in 1992.
Early Life
Albert Reynolds was born on 3 November 1932 in County Roscommon. He was educated in Sligo at Summerhill College. He became involved in dancehall promotion and also founded a pet-food company. He also had business interests in local newspapers and a cinema. He became interested in politics following the 'Arms Trial' of 1970 (which saw Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney acquitted of importing arms into the country illegally). Reynolds was an elected TD for Fianna Fáil in the party's landslide victory in 1977.
Early Political Life
He became a Minister under Charles Haughey, serving as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs (now called Communications) and Minister for Transport and Power. In 1987 Haughey became Taoiseach once again and Reynolds became Minister for Industery and Commerce. In 1988 he was promoted to the Minister for Finance. He resigned from the post in November 1991 following a failed attempt to oust Haughey as leader. The following year Haughey resigned as party leader and Albert Reynolds became the fifth leader of Fianna Fáil and Taoiseach.
Reynolds as Taoiseach
He presided over two cabinets;
1992: a Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats coalition, which collapsed over comments made by Reynolds in the witness stand during the Hamilton Inquiry into the Beef Industry about PD leader and longtime critic of Reynolds, Desmond O'Malley, TD. Fianna Fáil suffered one of its worst ever electoral results in the following general election. They were expected to go into opposition, but ended up to the electorate's surprise back in government, in a coalition arrangement with Labour under Dick Spring.
1992-94: The Fianna Fáil-Labour coalition proved a difficult arrangement. It finally collapsed following Reynolds' decision, in the face of outright Labour opposition, to appoint Attorney-General Harry Whelehan, to become President of the High Court. It was revealed that the Attorney-General's office had mis-handled an attempt to extradite a paedophile Roman Catholic priest, Fr. Brendan Smyth. Reynolds was forced to go before Dáil Éireann and indicate that if he had known 'then' what he "knew now" about the incompetent handling of the case by the AG's office he would not have appointed Whelehan to the judicial post. However it was not enough. Labour resigned from government. Reynolds resigned as party leader and was replaced by his Minister for Finance, Bertie Ahern (Ahern became leader after Máire Geoghegan-Quinn withdrew from the leadership contest). But Ahern's attempts to form a new government failed, with Labour joining with two opposition parties, Fine Gael and Democratic Left, to form a new government.
In office, perhaps Reynolds' biggest achievement was in the Northern Peace Process, where he played a crucial role in securing an IRA ceasefire.
Post-Taoiseach Period
In 1997, Reynolds, at the urgings of Ahern (who was now Taoiseach) agreed to seek the Fianna Fáil nomination for the presidency, which had become vacant following Mary Robinson's resignation. However Reynolds was humiliatingly beaten for the nomination by the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Queens University, Belfast, former Fianna Fáil general election Mary McAleese. McAleese went on to win the 1997 presidential election.
Reynolds retired from Dáil Éireann in the 2002 general election.
Cabinet February 1992 - January 1993
- Albert Reynolds, FF - An Taoiseach
- John Wilson, FF - An Tánaiste and Minister for Defence & the Gaeltacht
- Bertie Ahern, FF - Minister for Finance
- David Andrews, FF - Minister for Foreign Affairs
- Pádraig Flynn, FF - Minister for Justice
- Desmond O'Malley, PD - Minister for Industry and Commerce
- Brian Cowen, FF - Minister for Labour
- Joe Walsh, FF - Minister for Agriculture & Food
- Séamus Brennan, FF - Minister for Education
- John O'Connell, FF - Minister for Health
- Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, FF - Minister for Tourism, Transport & Communications
- Charlie McCreevy, FF - Minister for Social Welfare
- Michael Smith, FF - Minister for the Environment
- Michael Woods, FF - Minister for the Marine
- Bobby Molloy, PD - Minister for Energy
Changes
- February, 1992 - Both Progressive Democrats members, Des O'Malley and Bobby Mollo, resign from the Cabinet. Pádraig Flynn takes over the Industry & Commerce portfolio.
Cabinet January 1993 - December 1994
- Albert Reynolds, FF - An Taoiseach
- Dick Spring, LAB - An Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs
- Bertie Ahern, FF - Minister for Finance
- Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, FF - Minister for Justice
- Ruairí Quinn, LAB - Minister for Industry & Commerce
- Mervyn Taylor, LAB - Minister for Labour
- Joe Walsh, FF - Minister for Agriculture & Food
- David Andrews, FF - Minister for Defence and the Marine
- Niamh Bhreathnach, LAB - Minister for Education
- Brendan Howlin, LAB - Minister Health
- Charlie McCreevy, FF - Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communications
- Michael Woods, FF - Minister for Social Welfare
- Michael Smith, FF - Minister for the Environment
- Brian Cowen, FF - Minister for Energy
- Michael D. Higgins, LAB - Minister for the Gaeltacht
Changes
- January, 1994 - Brian Cowen takes over the Transport & Communication portfolios from Charlie MCreevy while MCreevy receives the Tourism portfolio.
- November, 1994 - The Labour members of the government leave their posts. Albert Reynolds takes over the Foreign Affairs portfolio from Dick Spring. Bertie Ahern takes over as Tánaiste and the Gaeltacht portfolio vacated by Michael D. Higgins. Máire Geoghegan-Quinn takes over the Labour portfolio from Mervyn Taylor. Charlie McCreevy takes over the Industry & Commerce portfolio from Ruairí Quinn. Michael Smith receives the Education portfolio following Niamh Bhreathnach's departure from government while Michael Woods takes over as Minister for Education from Brendan Howlin.
Reynolds Governmental Positions
nl:Albert Reynolds
Related links
Top visited
0 of
0 links
[no links posted yet]
>> place link >>
Discussion
Last posted
0 of
0 messages
[no messages posted yet]
>> post message >>
Watch
You can
add this article to your own "watchlist" and receive e-mail notification about all changes in this page.
