Kevin Boland

Kevin Boland (15 October 1917 – 23 September 2001) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Leader of Aontacht Éireann from 1971 to 1976, Minister for Social Welfare from 1961 to 1966 and 1969 to 1970, Minister for Local Government from 1966 to 1970 and Minister for Defence from 1957 to 1961. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1957 to 1970.

He is one of eight TDs appointed as a Minister at the beginning of their first term in the Dáil.

Early life and career Boland was born in Dublin in 1917. He attended St. Joseph's C.B.S. in Fairview, leaving in 1933. He was the son of Gerald Boland, a founder-member of Fianna Fáil, and the nephew of Harry Boland. Boland served as an officer in the Irish Army's Corps of Engineers during the Emergency (1939–1945), where he was involved in attempts to break German legation codes. Despite this, the young Boland failed to get elected to Dáil Éireann on his first two attempts, standing in the Dublin County constituency at the 1951 general election and again at the 1954 general election. Double success followed at the 1957 general election, when he was not only elected to the 16th Dáil but was appointed to the cabinet as Minister for Defence on his very first day in the Dáil.

One of Boland's most famous incidents took place at the Fianna Fáil Ardfheis in 1971. Just before Jack Lynch's speech Boland stormed a nearby podium, interrupting Patrick Hillery in the middle of his speech. Boland openly defied the party leadership and his opponents, holding his arms wide open and shouting to the crowd, "Come on up and put me down." While there was a lot of booing and clapping in an effort to drown him out, many of his supporters started cheering and chanting "We want Boland." An enraged Patrick Hillery grabbed his microphone and famously replied, "If you want a fight you can have it … You can have Boland, but you can't have Fianna Fáil." At this point the government supporters went ecstatic with cheering and Boland was carried out of the hall.

Political decline and retirement Boland founded his own political party, Aontacht Éireann (Irish Unity) in 1971. It won very little support and Boland himself failed to be elected to the Dáil in 1973, which effectively ended his political career. Boland and his colleagues resigned from the party in 1976 after it was taken over by a number of far-right individuals. He remained an outspoken critic of the Republic's Northern Ireland policy, particularly the Sunningdale Agreement. He made one last attempt to reclaim a Dáil seat, standing unsuccessfully in the Dublin South-West constituency at the 1981 general election. He then retired from public life completely.

In 1996, he sued the Irish Independent for libel after a 28 January 1993 article incorrectly stated that he had appeared before the court in the Arms Trial in 1970 and had been dismissed as a Minister by Taoiseach Jack Lynch. He was awarded £75,000 in damages.

Kevin Boland died in Dublin on 23 September 2001.

Books Boland wrote a series of political books, including his self-published autobiography, Up Dev!: