John Donnellan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Donnellan
|
|
|---|---|
| Minister of State | |
| 1983–1987 | Health |
| 1983–1987 | Social Welfare |
| 1982–1983 | Posts and Telegraphs |
| 1982–1983 | Transport |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office June 1981 – June 1989 |
|
| Constituency | Galway West |
| In office June 1969 – June 1977 |
|
| Constituency | Galway North-East |
| In office June 1977 – June 1981 |
|
| In office December 1964 – June 1969 |
|
| Constituency | Galway East |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 March 1937 County Galway, Ireland |
| Political party | Fine Gael |
| Parent |
|
John F. Donnellan (born 27 March 1937) is an Irish former politician and a talented sportsman. He was a member of the Irish parliament, called a Teachta Dála (TD), for 25 years. He also served as a Minister of State from 1982 to 1987. Before his political career, he was a well-known Gaelic football player. He played for his local club, Dunmore McHales, and for the Galway county team in the 1960s.
Contents
John Donnellan's Early Life
John Donnellan was born in Dunmore, County Galway, in 1937. He grew up in a family deeply involved in both Gaelic games and Irish politics. His father, Michael Donnellan, was a famous Gaelic footballer. He won an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) medal with Galway in 1925. Michael also became a TD, representing a different political party.
John followed in his father's footsteps in both sports and politics. His son, Michael, also played football for Galway. He won All-Ireland SFC medals in 1998 and 2001, continuing the family's sporting legacy.
John Donnellan's Playing Career
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Gaelic Football | ||
| Position | Right half back | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
| Dunmore McHales | |||
| Club titles | |||
| Galway titles | 4 | ||
| Connacht titles | 2 | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
|
1960s
|
Galway | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Connacht titles | 6 | ||
| All-Irelands | 3 | ||
Club Football Success
Donnellan played club football for Dunmore McHales in north County Galway. He had a very successful time with his club.
- In 1961, he won his first senior county championship.
- He won a county league medal in 1962.
- In 1963, he secured a second county championship title. This win also led to a Connacht club football championship.
- In 1966, his club won both the county league and the county championship.
- He continued his success by winning back-to-back county championship and Connacht club titles in 1968 and 1969.
Inter-County Football Achievements
Donnellan started playing for the Galway county team in the late 1950s.
- In 1958, he won an All-Ireland Junior Football Championship title with the Galway junior team. He quickly joined the senior team after that.
- In 1960, he won his first Connacht title. However, Galway lost in the All-Ireland SFC semi-final that year.
- Three years later, in 1963, he won a second provincial title. But Dublin defeated Galway in the All-Ireland SFC final.
- In 1964, Donnellan became captain of the Galway team. He won a third Connacht title that year. He then led his team to the All-Ireland final against Kerry. Galway won by five points, and Donnellan earned his first All-Ireland SFC medal.
- In 1965, Donnellan won a fourth provincial medal. In the All-Ireland final against Kerry, he was sent off the field. But Galway still won, giving Donnellan his second All-Ireland medal in a row.
- The next year, 1966, he won a fifth Connacht Championship title. Galway then reached their fourth All-Ireland final in a row. They had a six-point win over Meath. This gave Donnellan his third consecutive All-Ireland SFC medal. This made the Galway team one of the greatest of all time.
- In 1967, he won a Railway Cup medal with Connacht.
- He won his sixth and final provincial medal in 1968. Donnellan retired from inter-county football soon after.
John Donnellan's Political Career
John Donnellan's father, Michael, passed away in September 1964. This led to a special election, called a by-election, in December 1964. John was elected to Dáil Éireann, which is the main house of the Irish parliament. He became a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway East area, representing the Fine Gael political party.
He was re-elected in the next eight general elections. The area he represented changed a few times:
- To Galway North-East in 1969.
- Back to Galway East in 1977.
- From 1981 to 1989, he represented Galway West.
In December 1982, Garret FitzGerald, who was the leader of the government, appointed John Donnellan as a Minister of State. This means he was a junior minister, helping a senior minister. He held two roles at first:
- Minister of State at the Department of Posts and Telegraphs (dealing with mail and communications).
- Minister of State at the Department of Transport (dealing with travel).
In 1983, his roles changed. He became:
- Minister of State at the Department of Health (focused on public health).
- Minister of State at the Department of Social Welfare (focused on social support).
He served in these roles until Fine Gael left office after the 1987 general election.
In April 1988, Donnellan was removed from his party's group in parliament. This happened after he criticized the party leader, Alan Dukes. Donnellan decided to retire from politics at the 1989 general election.
See also
- Families in the Oireachtas
