Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh
Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh (12 February 1911 – 21 March 1978, IPA: ['caɾˠwaɫ̪ o: 'dˠa:ɫ̪i]) served as fifth President of Ireland, from 1974 to 1976. He was elected after the death of President Childers, but he resigned in 1976 after a clash with the government. He also had a notable legal career, including serving as Chief Justice of Ireland.
Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh | |
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5th President of Ireland | |
In office 19 December 1974 – 22 October 1976 | |
Taoiseach | Liam Cosgrave |
Preceded by | Erskine H. Childers |
Succeeded by | Patrick Hillery |
Judge of the European Court of Justice | |
In office 10 March 1973 – 19 December 1974 | |
Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
Appointed by | European Council |
4th Chief Justice of Ireland | |
In office 16 June 1961 – 22 September 1973 | |
Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
Appointed by | Éamon de Valera |
Preceded by | Conor Maguire |
Succeeded by | William FitzGerald |
Judge of the Supreme Court | |
In office 3 November 1953 – 22 September 1973 | |
Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
Appointed by | Seán T. O'Kelly |
9th Attorney General of Ireland | |
In office 14 June 1951 – 11 July 1953 | |
Taoiseach | Éamon de Valera |
Preceded by | Charles Casey |
Succeeded by | Thomas Teevan |
In office 30 April 1946 – 18 February 1948 | |
Taoiseach | Éamon de Valera |
Preceded by | Kevin Dixon |
Succeeded by | Cecil Lavery |
Personal details | |
Born | Cearbhall Aedan Ó Dálaigh 12 February 1911 Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland |
Died | 21 March 1978 Portobello, Dublin, Ireland | (aged 67)
Cause of death | Coronary thrombosis |
Resting place | Sneem, County Kerry, Ireland |
Nationality | Irish |
Political party | Fianna Fáil |
Spouse(s) | |
Parents |
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Alma mater | |
Profession |
Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh was born in Bray, County Wicklow.
Career
changeÓ Dálaigh trained as a lawyer. He became Ireland's youngest Attorney-General in 1946 under Taoiseach Éamon de Valera. He was re-appointed as Attorney-General in 1951 and in 1953 he became the youngest member of the Supreme Court. Less than a decade later, he became the youngest Chief Justice of Ireland.
When Ireland joined the European Economic Community, Jack Lynch appointed Ó Dálaigh as Ireland's judge on the European Court of Justice. When President Childers died suddenly in 1974, all parties agreed to nominate Ó Dálaigh for the post.
President of Ireland
changeÓ Dálaigh proved to be a mixed success as president. While popular with Irish language enthusiasts and artists he had a strained relationship with the Coalition Government.
In 1976 he decided to refer a series of tough state security Bills to the Supreme Court to test their constitutionality. This worried and angered members of the Fine Gael-Labour national coalition government. Ó Dálaigh then announced that he would sign the bill at midnight of the 15th of October, which he made public. There was a historical precedent for the referral of this bill. Dubhghlas de hÍde referred the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act of 1939 to the Supreme Court. Jim Duffy claims that, as a result of this, the PIRA arranged an attack in Mountmellick which resulted in the killing of Garda Clerkin.[1] Others would dispute that the PIRA would have held the President's opinion in such high regard as their members at the time did not recognise the State of which Ó Dálaigh was then the Head.
Ó Dálaigh's actions were seen by government ministers to have contributed to the killing of this Garda and greatly angered them. The following day, following a minor car accident, Paddy Donegan, a controversial and outspoken Minister for Defence, described the incident as a "thundering disgrace". The president thought the minister meant that the President was a disgrace, not what the President was doing was a disgrace. Donegan, a known alcoholic, was likely under the influence of alcohol at the time he spoke. He was speaking to members of the Irish Defence Forces, and was only at the barracks to open a new cookhouse. Donegan insulted the President, who is Head of the Defence Forces in front of the defence forces. created a major political incident. Ó Dálaigh thought that the President and the Minister of Defence would be unable to work together.[2]
The apologetic Donegan immediately offered his resignation. But Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave refused the offers, an offer he repeated subsequently. Cosgrave never met the President personally to apologise.[1] That added to two years in which Cosgrave had failed to do his constitutional duty to regularly brief the President. The manner in which his government treated the President was the last straw for President Ó Dálaigh.
He became the first Irish president to resign.
The incident meant even more people saw the Government as arrogant and out of touch with public opinion and contributed to their defeat in the 1977 general election.[3]
The opposition proposed outgoing EEC Commissioner Patrick Hillery for the presidency. Hillery served two unchallenged terms of office before retiring at the end of his second term in 1990.
Death and assessment
changeÓ Dálaigh died in 1978, less than two years after leaving office. He is buried in Sneem, County Kerry.
Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh was the most politically naïve president, but the Government he worked with was notable for its own inability to offer him the help to overcome the problem. The Taoiseach did not support Ó Dálaigh when Donegan attacked him.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Naivete blighted Ó Dálaigh's tenure" by Jim Duffy in the Irish Times, Tuesday, 24 October 2006
- ↑ "Sunday Independent, 29 October 2006 – The many resignations of Ó Dálaigh". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2007.
- ↑ Gene Kerrigan and Patrick Brennan (1999) This Great Little Nation: The A to Z of Irish Scandals and Controversies
Other websites
changePolitical offices | ||
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Preceded by Kevin Dixon |
Attorney General of Ireland 1946–1948 |
Succeeded by Cecil Lavery |
Preceded by Charles Casey |
Attorney General of Ireland 1951–1953 |
Succeeded by Thomas Teevan |
Preceded by Conor Maguire |
Chief Justice of Ireland 1961–1973 |
Succeeded by William Fitzgerald |
Preceded by Erskine H. Childers |
President of Ireland 1974–1976 |
Succeeded by Patrick Hillery |