Mary Harney facts for kids
Mary Harney (born on March 11, 1953) is an Irish former politician. She was also the Chancellor of the University of Limerick.
She led the Progressive Democrats party twice, first from 1993 to 2006, and again from 2007 to 2008. She is one of the longest-serving female members of Dáil Éireann, which is like Ireland's main parliament. She served as a Teachta Dála (TD), or member of parliament, for the Dublin South-West and Dublin Mid-West areas from 1981 to 2011.
Mary Harney was also Ireland's first female Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) from 1997 to 2006. She was also the first woman to lead a political party in Dáil Éireann.
Quick facts for kids
Mary Harney
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Harney in 2007
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| Minister for Health and Children | |
| In office 29 September 2004 – 19 January 2011 |
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| Taoiseach | |
| Preceded by | Micheál Martin |
| Succeeded by | Mary Coughlan |
| Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment | |
| In office 26 June 1997 – 13 September 2004 |
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| Taoiseach | Bertie Ahern |
| Preceded by | Richard Bruton |
| Succeeded by | Micheál Martin |
| Tánaiste | |
| In office 26 June 1997 – 13 September 2006 |
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| Taoiseach | Bertie Ahern |
| Preceded by | Dick Spring |
| Succeeded by | Michael McDowell |
| Leader of the Progressive Democrats | |
| In office 25 May 2007 – 17 April 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Michael McDowell |
| Succeeded by | Ciarán Cannon |
| In office 26 October 1993 – 11 September 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Desmond O'Malley |
| Succeeded by | Michael McDowell |
| Minister of State | |
| 1989–1992 | Environment |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office May 2002 – February 2011 |
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| Constituency | Dublin Mid-West |
| In office June 1981 – May 2002 |
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| Constituency | Dublin South-West |
| Senator | |
| In office 27 October 1977 – 11 June 1981 |
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| Constituency | Nominated by the Taoiseach |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 March 1953 Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland |
| Political party | Independent (since 2009) |
| Other political affiliations |
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| Spouse |
Brian Geoghegan
(m. 2001) |
| Alma mater | Trinity College Dublin |
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mary Harney was born in Ballinasloe, County Galway, in 1953. Her parents were farmers. Soon after she was born, her family moved to Newcastle, County Dublin.
She went to school at the Convent of Mercy in Inchicore and Presentation Convent in Clondalkin. Later, she studied at Trinity College Dublin. While there, she became the first female "auditor" (which means chairperson) of the College Historical Society. In 1976, she earned a degree in Economic and Social Studies. For a short time, she worked as a secondary school teacher.
Political Journey: 1977–2011
Starting in Politics: 1977–1985
Mary Harney first got involved in politics with the Fianna Fáil party. In 1977, she ran for election but did not win a seat. However, the Taoiseach (Ireland's Prime Minister) at the time, Jack Lynch, appointed her to Seanad Éireann. This is the upper house of the Irish parliament. At 24, she was the youngest person ever to be a member of the Seanad.
In 1979, she won her first election, becoming a member of Dublin County Council. Two years later, in 1981, she was elected to the Dáil, which is the main house of the Irish parliament. She represented the Dublin South-West area. She kept her seat in every election until she retired in 2011. In 2002, she moved to the new Dublin Mid-West area when it was created.
In 1985, Mary Harney was part of a group of politicians who disagreed with their party on an important issue. Because of this, she left Fianna Fáil.
Founding the Progressive Democrats: 1985–1997
After leaving Fianna Fáil, Mary Harney helped start a new political party called the Progressive Democrats in December 1985. She co-founded it with Desmond O'Malley and Bobby Molloy.
After the 1989 election, the Progressive Democrats joined with Fianna Fáil to form a coalition government. This means two parties worked together to govern. Mary Harney was made a Minister of State for Environmental Protection. In this role, she helped pass a law to ban the sale of certain types of coal in Dublin. This helped to clear up smog (a type of air pollution) in the city.
In February 1993, Mary Harney became the deputy leader of the Progressive Democrats. In October of that year, she became the party leader. This made her the first woman to lead a political party in Dáil Éireann.
Returning to Government: 1997–2004
After the 1997 election, the Progressive Democrats again formed a coalition government with Fianna Fáil. Mary Harney was appointed as the first female Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister). She also became the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
After the 2002 election, the Progressive Democrats doubled their number of seats in the Dáil. Mary Harney led them back into government with Fianna Fáil. She continued as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. In 2004, she started the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB). This was a big change to help people get compensation for injuries more quickly and cheaply.
In December 2001, Mary Harney used an Air Corps aircraft for a non-government trip. She later apologized, saying it was wrong to use the plane for personal business.
Leading Health and Children: 2004–2011
In September 2004, Mary Harney became the Minister for Health and Children. This was a very important role.
In 2006, some nurses expressed their unhappiness with her. Her plan to move private beds from public hospitals to private ones also caused some debate.
In 2006, a survey ranked the Irish health service as one of the least "consumer-friendly" in the European Union. However, a year later, the Irish health service showed big improvements in the same survey.
In 2006, there were claims that Mary Harney's mother received hip surgery without waiting in line. The minister strongly denied this. Later that year, a poll showed that many people felt there hadn't been much improvement in the health service since Harney became minister.
In 2006, she made decisions to allow new nursing units to be built in the Phoenix Park without needing the usual planning permission. This was done because of an emergency in hospitals at the time.
Mary Harney also introduced a system called "risk equalisation" into the Irish healthcare market. This was a big change that faced strong opposition from some companies but was eventually upheld.
Stepping Down and Returning as Party Leader: 2006–2008
On September 7, 2006, Mary Harney announced she was stepping down as leader of the Progressive Democrats. She stayed on as leader until a new one was chosen. Michael McDowell took over from her.
After the 2007 election, the Progressive Democrats lost many of their seats, and Michael McDowell lost his own seat. Because the party rules said the leader had to be a TD, Mary Harney temporarily became leader again. After the rules were changed, Senator Ciarán Cannon became the new party leader in April 2008.
Independent Politician: 2008–2011
In November 2008, the Progressive Democrats party decided to close down. Mary Harney said she would continue to serve as an independent TD, meaning she would not belong to any political party.
Leaving Government and Politics: 2011
On January 15, 2011, Mary Harney resigned as Minister for Health and Children. She also announced that she would not run in the next general election, meaning she was retiring from Dáil Éireann.
After Politics
Joining Company Boards
After leaving politics, Mary Harney joined the boards of several companies. In 2012, she joined the board of Cara, a new healthcare company. She also joined Ward Biotech and Euro Insurances. She was also appointed to the board of Biocon, a large pharmaceutical company in India.
Public Speaking
Mary Harney also gave speeches about her experiences. For example, she spoke at a surgeons' conference in New York about her time as a health minister.
2016 Address
In April 2016, Mary Harney spoke at a Women in Media conference. She talked about how important it was for Ireland to form a new government quickly. She also mentioned that after leaving public life, she decided to step away from politics.
Recognition
In 2019, Trinity College Dublin gave Mary Harney an honorary doctorate, which is a special award recognizing her achievements.
Personal Life
In November 2001, Mary Harney married Brian Geoghegan, a businessman. It was a quiet ceremony in Dublin.
