Flor Crowley Explained

Office:Teachta Dála
Term Start:June 1981
Term End:February 1982
Term Start1:June 1969
Term End1:June 1977
Constituency1:Cork South-West
Term Start2:April 1965
Term End2:June 1969
Constituency2:Cork Mid
Office3:Senator
Term Start3:13 May 1982
Term End3:23 February 1983
Constituency3:Nominated by the Taoiseach
Term Start4:27 October 1977
Term End4:11 June 1981
Constituency4:Cultural and Educational Panel
Birth Date:27 December 1934
Birth Place:Bandon, County Cork, Ireland
Death Place:County Cork, Ireland
Party:Fianna Fáil
Spouse:Sally Crowley
Children:6, including Brian

Florence Crowley (27 December 1934 – 16 May 1997) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for thirteen years, and a senator for five years.[1]

Family

An auctioneer from Bandon, County Cork, Crowley was an accomplished rugby player in his youth. He and his wife Sally had six children.[2] Their son Brian Crowley is a former Fianna Fáil senator and MEP.[3]

Political career

He stood unsuccessfully as a Fianna Fáil candidate for Dáil Éireann in the Cork Mid constituency at a by-election in March 1965, but won the seat at the 1965 general election in April. After boundary changes for the 1969 general election, he was re-elected in the new Cork South-West constituency, and held the seat at the 1973 general election.[4] Meanwhile, he had been elected in 1967 as a member of both Cork City Council and Cork County Council, and after the 1971 local elections had remained a member only of the County Council.[5]

He lost his seat at the 1977 general election. Fianna Fáil won a landslide victory, but it had fielded three candidates in Cork South-West and won only one seat. Crowley, the sitting TD, was beaten by his party colleague Joe Walsh. He was then elected to the 14th Seanad on the Cultural and Educational Panel, and at the 1981 general he regained his Dáil seat from Walsh.[4] Walsh retook the seat at the February 1982 general election, following which Crowley stood in the Seanad elections on the Cultural and Educational Panel. However, he did not win a seat; at the time Fianna Fáil was deeply divided between supporters and opponents of its leader Charles Haughey, and the Haughey-supporting Crowley was beaten by another Fianna Fáil candidate, Séamus de Brún, who had previously been nominated by the Taoiseach, Jack Lynch to the 14th Seanad.[6] Crowley was then nominated by Haughey to the 16th Seanad.[5]

Crowley did not contest the November 1982 general election. In the subsequent February 1983 Seanad election, he stood as a candidate on the Administrative Panel, but did not win a seat.[7]

Death

Crowley died suddenly at his home in Bandon on 16 May 1997, aged 62.[2] [8]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Flor Crowley. Oireachtas Members Database. 25 February 2008.
  2. News: Death of Mr Flor Crowley. 17 May 2007. The Irish Times. 20 February 2008.
  3. Web site: Brian Crowley. ElectionsIreland.org. 25 February 2008.
  4. Web site: Flor Crowley. ElectionsIreland.org. 25 February 2008.
  5. News: Taoiseach's nominees to the Senate. 11 May 1982. 6. The Irish Times. 7 February 2008.
  6. News: Senate defeat for Flor Crowley. Denis Coghlan. 22 April 1982. 1. The Irish Times. 7 February 2008.
  7. News: Senate results. 2 March 1983. 6. The Irish Times. 7 February 2008.
  8. News: Ahern praises Flor Crowley. 19 May 2007. The Irish Times. 20 February 2008.