Martin O'Donoghue

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Martin O'Donoghue BComm, PhD, FTCD(1969), (born 1933), is an Irish economist. He also served as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD). He holds the distinction of being one of only five TDs to be appointed Minister on their first day in the Dáil.

Martin O'Donoghue was born in Dublin in May 1933. He was educated at Crumlin Road and obtained a doctorate in economics from the University of Dublin. From 1962-1964 and from 1967-1969 he was economic consultant at the Departments of Education and Finance respectively. From 1970-1973 O'Donoghue was economic adviser to the Taoiseach, Jack Lynch.

In 1977 O'Donoghue was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD for the Dún Laoghaire constituency. He was the architect of the election manifesto which saw Fianna Fáil achieve an unprecedented twenty seat majority. O'Donoghue was immediately appointed Minister for Economic Planning and Development. In 1979 Charles Haughey became Taoiseach and O'Donoghue's ministerial position was discontinued. In 1982 O'Donoghue was returned to Cabinet as Minister for Education. He resigned in October of that year when he refused to support Haughey in a leadership challenge.

In November O'Donoghue lost his Dáil seat in the general election, however, he was elected to Seanad Éireann as a senator. Allegedly when a senior Fianna Fáil member was asked why Martin O'Donoghue wasn't expelled from the party, given what O'Donoghue was saying about Fianna Fáil and its leadership, he replied "he's not worth expelling". He remained in Seanad Éireann until 1987 when he drifted out of Fianna Fáil to support the Progressive Democrats. In 1998 O'Donoghue became a director of the Irish Central Bank and is currently a Fellow Emeritus of Trinity College Dublin, having retired from his career as a Lecturer and Associate Professor of Economics there.

[edit] Ministerial Career

Preceded by: ---	Minister without portfolio July 5, 1977–July, 8 1977	Succeeded by: ---
Preceded by: Newly Created Office	Minister for Economic Planning & Development 1977–1979	Succeeded by: Michael O'Kennedy
Preceded by: John Boland	Minister for Education Mar 1982–Oct 1982	Succeeded by: Charles J. Haughey (acting)