Seán Treacy (politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Seán Treacy
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| Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann | |
| In office 10 March 1987 – 26 June 1997 |
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| Deputy | Jim Tunney Joe Jacob |
| Preceded by | Tom Fitzpatrick |
| Succeeded by | Séamus Pattison |
| In office 14 March 1973 – 5 July 1977 |
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| Deputy | Denis Jones |
| Preceded by | Cormac Breslin |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Brennan |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office October 1961 – June 1997 |
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| Constituency | Tipperary South |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 20 June 1981 – 12 May 1984 |
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| Constituency | Munster |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 September 1923 Clonmel, Ireland |
| Died | 23 March 2018 (aged 94) Waterford, Ireland |
| Political party | Labour Party |
| Spouse |
Catherine Treacy
(m. 1951; died 2004) |
Seán Daniel Treacy (born September 22, 1923 – died March 23, 2018) was an important Irish politician. He was a member of the Labour Party for many years. Seán Treacy is best known for being the Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann (which is like the speaker of the Irish parliament) twice. He held this important job from 1973 to 1977 and again from 1987 to 1997.
He was also a Teachta Dála (TD), which means a member of the Dáil, for the Tipperary South area. He served as a TD for a long time, from 1961 until 1997. In addition, he was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Munster area from 1981 to 1984.
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Seán Treacy's Political Journey
Seán Treacy began his political career by being elected to the Dáil in the 1961 general election. He represented the Tipperary South area as a Labour Party TD. He was re-elected seven times after that. Because he was the Ceann Comhairle, he was automatically re-elected three more times without needing to run in an election.
Becoming Ceann Comhairle
Seán Treacy was first chosen as the Ceann Comhairle after the 1973 general election. The Ceann Comhairle is a very important role in the Dáil. This person is in charge of making sure debates run smoothly and fairly. They are like a referee for the parliament. He served one term in this role.
He was elected to this position again after the 1987 general election. This time, he served for three more terms. While he was Ceann Comhairle, he was also part of the Irish Presidential Commission. This group steps in to act as President if the actual President is not available.
Representing Ireland in Europe
From 1981 to 1984, Seán Treacy also served as a MEP. This meant he represented Ireland in the European Parliament. He took over this role from Eileen Desmond. She had resigned as an MEP when she became a government minister in Ireland.
An Independent Voice in Politics
In 1985, Seán Treacy left the Labour Party. This happened because he voted differently from his party on a certain law. After this, he ran as an independent TD in the 1987 general election and won.
After that election, the Dáil chose him again to be the Ceann Comhairle. One of his first big decisions in this role was to use his special "casting vote" to help Charles Haughey become the Taoiseach (Ireland's Prime Minister).
Retirement and Later Life
Seán Treacy decided to retire from politics before the 1997 general election. He was the only Ceann Comhairle to retire from the job instead of being automatically re-elected.
He passed away in Waterford on March 23, 2018, at the age of 94. Many important people attended his funeral. These included President Michael D. Higgins, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, and former Minister Martin Mansergh.
