by: Heather Watters
Dr. Rory O’Hanlon was first elected to Dail Eireann for the constituency of Cavan/Monaghan in 1977. He was been elected at every subsequent election since. In 1982 he was Minister of State at the department of Health and Social Welfare. From 1987-1991 he served in cabinet as Minister for Health before being appointed Minister for the Environment. Then in 1995 Dr. O’Hanlon was appointed chairman of the Fianna Fail party and remained in this position until 2002. In 1997 he was appointed as Leas Cheann Comhairle of Dail Eireann and he also served as Vice-Chairman of the British Irish international Parliamentary Body. Bertie Ahern then nominated Dr. O’Hanlon as Ceann Comhairle in 2002 and he was elected by the members of the 29th Dail in 2002. He remained in this position until 2007.
Dr. O’Hanlon is now the Vice-Chairman of the joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and sits on the Health Committee and the British Parliamentary Body. In 2007, Dr. O’Hanlon was also selected as Vice-Chair of the Fianna Fail Northern Ireland Group whose aim is to take Fianna Fail into the North.
Simple, country, doctor.
2. What were you doing when you were my age? (21)
I was half way through university studying medicine in UCD.
3. Why did you choose medicine?
My father was a doctor I suppose that influenced me to an extent and two of my uncles were in general practice. I was very influenced by them and never considered any other career. I had never considered going into politics at that stage.
4. How did you get to where you are today?
When I went to university I joined the Fianna Fail Cumann. I grew up in County Armagh just outside Newry and it’s only when you get older that you realise that I was very close to the war if independence. I was born in 1934 which was just 11 years after the end of the civil war but when I was growing up it may as well have been 1798. I lived through the last world war in 1939 to 45 now; I remember all of that so it’s part of me. So it gives me a better perception to how close I was to the war of independence. There was alot of grievance in the area that I grew up in. The Free State had been established with 26 counties and Armagh was left out of it so I guess that gave me an interest in politics growing up. So I joined the Fianna Fail Party at that stage and then when I came to Carrickmacross in 1965 as a medical doctor, it was already known that I had been a member of the Fianna Fail Cumann and I wasn’t here a week until I was recruited. Then I moved on from there and in 1973 Ersken Childers was elected president of Ireland and there was a by-election here and I was selected to fight the seat at that stage. This was a crisis of conscience because I really loved my medical practice. But after alot of thought I realised that if I don’t go in I can never complain about anything so I took that chance. But I actually lost that election, Brendan Tole from Smithboro won the by-election and then in 1977 a general election came and I was elected. But from 1977 to 1987, I continued to work in the practice. I was in Dublin Tuesday afternoon, all day on Wednesday and home again at tea time on Thursday. So I worked in the practice when I wasn’t in Dublin. Then in 1987 I was appointed Minister for Health so I gave up the practice because you’re not allowed carry on a trade or profession as a minister in government.
