Martin O'Donoghue

Martin O'Donoghue (19 May 1933 – 20 July 2018) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Education from March 1982 to October 1982 and Minister for Economic Planning and Development from 1977 to 1979. He served as a Senator for the Labour Panel from 1983 to 1987. He also served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency from 1977 to 1982.

He was one of a few TDs to be appointed a Minister on their first day in the Dáil.

Life O'Donoghue was born in Dublin in 1933. He was educated in Crumlin and worked as a waiter in Dublin, becoming a mature student at Trinity College Dublin and being awarded a Ph.D. in economics by Trinity College Dublin.

Career From 1962 to 1964 and from 1967 to 1969, he was economic consultant at the Departments of Education and Finance respectively. He was elected a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin in 1969 and promoted to associate professor of Economics there in 1970. Between 1970 and 1973, O'Donoghue was economic adviser to the Taoiseach Jack Lynch.

Politics At the 1977 general election O'Donoghue was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD for the Dún Laoghaire constituency. He was chief author of the election manifesto which saw Fianna Fáil achieve an unprecedented twenty-seat majority. O'Donoghue was appointed Minister for Economic Planning and Development on his first day in office as a TD, a new cabinet portfolio. In March 1982, O'Donoghue returned to cabinet as Minister for Education. In October 1982, he and Des O'Malley refused to support Haughey in a leadership challenge and resigned from cabinet. At the November 1982 general election O'Donoghue lost his seat.

O'Donoghue was elected to the 17th Seanad in 1983. He resigned from the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party in February 1983 after leaked phone calls emerged of him being critical of Haughey while he was a cabinet minister. He later left Fianna Fáil, becoming a supporter of the Progressive Democrats, a party founded by Des O'Malley.

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