Liam Burke Explained

Office:Teachta Dála
Term Start:November 1992
Term End:May 2002
Term Start1:June 1981
Term End1:June 1989
Constituency1:Cork North-Central
Term Start2:November 1979
Term End2:June 1981
Constituency2:Cork City
Term Start3:June 1969
Term End3:June 1977
Constituency3:Cork City North-West
Office4:Senator
Term Start4:27 October 1977
Term End4:7 November 1979
Constituency4:Administrative Panel
Term Start5:21 June 1977
Term End5:27 October 1977
Constituency5:Nominated by the Taoiseach
Birth Date:2 February 1928
Birth Place:Cork, Ireland
Death Place:Cork, Ireland
Party:Fine Gael
Education:Christian Brothers College
Alma Mater:University College Cork

Liam Burke (2 February 1928 – 21 August 2005) was an Irish Fine Gael politician. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork North-Central constituency. Burke was elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1969 general election for Cork City North-West.[1] After the constituencies were redrawn, he stood at the 1977 general election in the new Cork City constituency, but lost his seat. He was nominated to the 13th Seanad on 21 June 1977 to fill a vacancy. He was elected to the 14th Seanad in October 1977.

He was returned to the 21st Dáil at a by-election on 7 November 1979 in the same constituency, following the death of the Labour Party TD Patrick Kerrigan. That by-election win contributed to the decision of then Taoiseach Jack Lynch to resign in December 1979.

Burke lost his seat for the second time at the 1989 general election but regained it at the 1992 general election. He then retained his seat until retiring aged 74 at the 2002 general election.[2] At that time he and Harry Blaney shared the distinction of being the oldest serving TDs.

He was educated at Christian Brothers College, Cork, and University College Cork. He was Lord Mayor of Cork from 1984 to 1985.[3]

Burke died on 21 August 2005, aged 77.

His sister, Mary Woods, was elected as a councillor for Fine Gael on the Town Council for Midleton, County Cork from 1985 until town councils were abolished in 2014. His uncle Tadhg Manley was a Fine Gael TD from 1954 to 1961. He was a cousin of Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Liam Burke. Oireachtas Members Database. 27 April 2009. 8 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181108184559/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Liam-Burke.D.1969-07-02. live.
  2. Web site: Liam Burke. ElectionsIreland.org. 27 April 2009. 30 November 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101130174531/http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=2831. live.
  3. Web site: Previous Mayors of Cork. Cork City Council. 11 December 2022.