Kevin Boland

Kevin Boland ( Irish: Caoimhín Ó Beolláin; * October 15, 1917 in Dublin, † September 23, 2001 ) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and several times minister.

Biography

Boland came from a political family. His father Gerald Boland was co-founder of Fianna Fáil and also minister several times, while his uncle Harry Boland was President of the Irish Republican Brotherhood.

He himself was after a study initially as a civil engineer working and began his political career as a candidate of the Fianna Fáil in 1957 with the election as a member of the lower house ( Dáil Éireann ), in which he initially the constituency Dublin County and then from 1969 to 1970 the constituency of Dublin South County represented.

Already after his first election as a deputy, he was appointed on 20 March 1957 by Taoiseach (Prime Minister ) Éamon de Valera as Minister of Defence and was holding office under de Valera's successor, Seán Lemass to 11 October 1961. During a cabinet reshuffle Lemass appointed him then Minister for social Welfare and held that office until the end of Lemass term on 10 November 1966.

His successor as Taoiseach, Jack Lynch, initially appointed him as Minister of Local Government, before 1969 Minister for Local Government and Minister for Social Welfare was when a new cabinet reshuffle on June 18. Of these government offices he resigned on 5 May 1970. Reason for his resignation was that he objected to the description made by Prime Minister Lynch dismissal of Finance Minister Charles J. Haughey and Neil Blaney, Minister of Agriculture because of the so-called Irish weapons crisis. On November 4, 1970, he also laid down also resigned from the House of Commons.

Shortly thereafter, he resigned from the Fianna Fáil and founded in 1971 instead Aontacht Éireann ( Irish unit ), although nationally only came to 1 percent of the votes at the next election. Boland remained until 1976 chairman of the party finally resolved in 1984 Aontacht Éireann.