Brendan Daly (2 February 1940 – 6 July 2023) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a long-serving Teachta Dála (TD) for the Clare constituency, a government minister, and Senator.
Life and career
Daly was born on 2 February 1940 in Cooraclare, County Clare, and educated locally at CBS Kilrush school. His political career began at the 1973 general election, when he was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD for Clare. When Daly ran in the next general election in 1977, Limerick-based journalist Arthur Quinlan described him in the Irish Times as “a 37-year-old bundle of energy who has concentrated all his efforts on making his career out of politics”. Quinlan was sceptical that Daly would top the poll, but in the end he did so, getting elected on the first count. His first-preference total of 11,933 was more than double the figure of 5,758 he got in 1973 although he said: “I worked for every single vote I got" He held his seat at five further general elections before losing it at the 1992 general election. He was returned at the 1997 general election but was defeated again in the 2002 general election.
Daly was a strong supporter of Charles Haughey during his period as Fianna Fáil leader. In 1980 Daly became Minister of State at the Department of Labour. In 1982 he joined the Cabinet as Minister for Fisheries and Forestry. When Fianna Fáil returned to power after the 1987 general election he once again became a minister, this time as Minister for the Marine in the 20th Government of Ireland.
Daly was not re-appointed a minister when Fianna Fáil entered into coalition with the Progressive Democrats after the 1989 general election, but was appointed Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach with responsibility for Heritage Affairs and Minister of State at the Department of Finance with responsibility for the Office of Public Works. He returned to the cabinet in February 1991 as Minister for Defence. In November Albert Reynolds and Pádraig Flynn were sacked from the government and Daly was appointed Minister for Social Welfare. His time in cabinet was short-lived; in February 1992, Haughey resigned as Taoiseach and was succeeded by Reynolds, who did not appoint Daly to cabinet. He was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs from February 1992.
Daly lost his Dáil seat in the election that year, retaining his position as Minister of State until the formation of a new government in January 1993. He contested the Seanad election on the Agricultural Panel, and was returned to the 20th Seanad.
Brendan Daly was married to Patricia Carmody of Kilrush, County Clare, from the early 1970s until her death in 2014;
In the Dáil, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin paid tribute to Daly as “an extraordinarily committed public servant” who had served in several departments.