Politician who carved out a career on merit, serving in several senior ministries in addition to being party deputy leader
was one of the first women to achieve political prominence in this country, holding senior positions in government and opposition for 30 years. After leaving politics she remained in the public eye as a media pundit and author of a bestselling memoir.family, O’Rourke carved out a political career on her own merits, serving in several senior ministries, including education and public enterprise, and was deputy leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2002.
She was never a token woman in what was a male-dominated world but fought her way to the top. Her lively and entertaining personality helped propel her up the political ladder and she made many friends and a few enemies along the way.O’Rourke shared the Longford-Westmeath constituency with her equally ambitious Fianna Fáil colleague, Albert Reynolds, and their intense rivalry regularly spilt into public squabbles.
She was born in Athlone, Co Westmeath, in 1937, one of five children. Her father, Patrick Lenihan, was appointed by Fianna Fáil’s Seán Lemass to run the Gentex textile factory in the town. She went to the local national school before going on to Loreto Bray as a boarder and then to University College Dublin where she graduated with a BA. She completed a Higher Diploma in Education subsequently at Maynooth and worked as a secondary teacher.
After her marriage to Enda O’Rourke in 1960, she continued to teach but became increasingly involved in politics in her home constituency. She was elected to Athlone Urban District Council in 1974 and to Westmeath County Council in 1979. She secured election to the Seanad in 1981 and made her first narrowly unsuccessful run for the Dáil in February 1982. But in the second election of that year, she was elected and quickly established herself as a leading figure in Fianna Fáil.
She was briefly minister for health from November 1991, until February 1992, when Haughey was forced to resign from office. She then contested the leadership against Reynolds and Michael Woods but found it difficult to get a seconder. Reynolds walked away with the contest and dropped her from the cabinet but offered her the consolation prize of a junior ministry.
O’Rourke was one of the shock losers in the 2002 general election in which Fianna Fáil surprised pundits by coming close to winning an overall majority. Her defeat was down to a party strategy aimed at winning two seats out of three in the new Westmeath constituency that came unstuck. The sole Fianna Fáil seat was won by long-time senator Donie Cassidy. She took the defeat on the chin and ran for the Seanad to which she was duly elected.
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