Denis Foley

Denis Foley (14 May 1934 – 26 October 2013) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Kerry North constituency from 1981 to 1989 and 1992 to 2002 and a Senator for the Industrial and Commercial Panel from 1989 to 1992.[1]

Denis Foley
Teachta Dála
In office
November 1992 – May 2002
In office
June 1981 – June 1989
ConstituencyKerry North
Senator
In office
12 July 1989 – 30 November 1993
ConstituencyIndustrial and Commercial Panel
Personal details
Born(1934-05-14)14 May 1934
Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland
Died26 October 2013(2013-10-26) (aged 79)
Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland
NationalityIrish
Political partyFianna Fáil
Spouse(s)Hanna Foley (m. 1960; d. 2013)
Children4, including Norma

A former rates collector,[1] in the 1970s, Foley successfully ran the Central Ballroom in Ballybunion and the ballroom of the Brandon Hotel. He also had an interest in the Hillgrove Hotel in Dingle at one stage, and had extensive property holdings in Tralee.[2]

Foley was a member of Kerry County Council from 1979,[2] and was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1981 general election. He retained his seat through three general elections until his defeat at the 1989 general election[1] by party rival Tom McEllistrim (who, unlike Foley, was a supporter of the then leader of Fianna Fáil, Charles Haughey).[2] He was then elected to the 19th Seanad as a Senator for the Industrial and Commercial Panel, and regained his Dáil seat at the 1992 general election, holding it until he retired at the 2002 general election.[3] His daughter Norma, unsuccessfully sought the Fianna Fáil nomination to contest the seat in 2002;[4] she was selected for the 2007 general election, but did not win a seat. She stayed in local politics and availed of the new enlarged five-seater Kerry constituency to win a seat in Dáil Eireann at the 2020 general election.[5]

Following revelations that he had held an offshore account with Ansbacher Bank to avoid tax,[6] Denis Foley resigned from Fianna Fáil on 9 February 2000, becoming an independent TD.[7] He had previously resigned from the Dáil Public Accounts Committee[8] (on which he had been involved in the questioning of an official of the Ansbacher bank in which he held an undeclared deposit)[9] and in May 2000, he became the first TD to receive a penalty for breaching the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995; he was suspended from the Dáil for 14 days.[10]

He died on 26 October 2013.[11][12]

See also

References
  1. "Denis Foley". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
  2. Miriam Donohoe and Kevin Rafter (28 January 2000). "Little-known deputy owns shops and accommodation". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
  3. "Denis Foley". Electionsireland.org. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
  4. Anne Lucey (25 June 2001). "Foley fails to win Kerry North nomination". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
  5. "Norma Foley". Electionsireland.org. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
  6. Roddy O'Sullivan (4 February 2000). "Fianna Fáil TD knew about offshore account since the 1980s". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
  7. "Foley resigns from Fianna Fáil parliamentary party". RTÉ News. 9 February 2000. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
  8. "Foley's prompt decision to quit has helped ease political fallout". The Irish Times. 28 January 2000. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
  9. "The eloquence of Mr Foley's silence". The Irish Times. 29 January 2000. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
  10. "Motion to suspend Foley approved". The Irish Times. 24 May 2000. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
  11. "Former Fianna Fáil TD Denis Foley dies". RTÉ News. 27 October 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  12. O'Regan, Michael (27 October 2013). "FF leader pays tribute to two former colleagues who died at the weekend". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
Oireachtas
Preceded by
Kit Ahern
(Fianna Fáil)		 Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for Kerry North
1981–1987		 Succeeded by
Tom McEllistrim, Jnr
(Fianna Fáil)
Preceded by
Tom McEllistrim, Jnr
(Fianna Fáil)		 Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for Kerry North
1992–2002		 Succeeded by
Tom McEllistrim
(Fianna Fáil)
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