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Noel O'Flynn

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Noel O'Flynn
Teachta Dála
In office
June 1997 – February 2011
ConstituencyCork North-Central
Personal details
Born (1951-12-01) 1 December 1951 (age 73)
Blackpool, Cork, Ireland
Political partyFianna Fáil
SpouseFrances O'Keeffe
Children3, including Ken
Alma materRegional Technical College, Cork

Noel O'Flynn (born 1 December 1951) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork North-Central constituency from 1997 to 2011.[1]

Background and education

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O'Flynn was educated at Regional Technical College, Cork. He is married to Frances O'Keeffe and they have three sons, including Kenneth who was co-opted onto Cork City Council in December 2008, and Gary who was a Cork City Councillor from 2003 to 2008, and was charged in March 2013 with soliciting the murder of a detective, an accountant and a Revenue official.[2]

Career

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O'Flynn started a family business in 1985 in Blackpool, Cork, which supplies brake and clutch parts for trucks, buses, tractors, cars, and light commercial vehicles. The Irish Independent described O'Flynn as a “self-made businessman who founded a hugely successful motor industry supply firm.”

He was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1997 general election. He was re-elected, topping the poll, at the 2002 general election, and retained his seat at the 2007 general election.[3]

Before the 2002 general election, O'Flynn stated that "some asylum-seekers in Cork were spongers, freeloaders and conmen".[4][5] He was criticised in the Dáil for his comments, but maintained his stance.[6]

He was Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications Marine and Natural Resources from 2002–2007. He was also a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committees on European Scrutiny and on Foreign Affairs. Additionally, he served on the Joint Committees on Justice, Equality and Women’s Rights, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Public Enterprise, the Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business, the Government Whip on the Finance and Public Services Committee and the CTC sub-committee which undertook an inquiry into CIE. He also served on the Southern Health Board.[7]

O'Flynn served on Cork City Council (then called Cork Corporation) from 1991 to 2003 having been re-elected in 1991 and 1999 in the North–Central electoral area. He resigned his seat in July 2003 because of the dual mandate rules which prohibit members of the Oireachtas from sitting on a local authority. The seat was filled by the co-option of his son Gary O'Flynn. Gary stood down from Cork City Council in 2008 and was replaced by his brother, Ken. Gary, a solicitor, was given a three-year prison sentence for attempting to hire a hitman (who was an undercover garda) to kill a garda, a Revenue Commission official and an accountant. He was diagnosed with a severe psychiatric illness.[8][9][10][11]

In January 2011, O'Flynn called for Taoiseach Brian Cowen to step down as Fianna Fáil leader.[12] He also announced that month that he would not contest the 2011 general election. Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin had asked O'Flynn not to run for the sake of the party as he believed there would only be one seat for Fianna Fáil in the constituency.[13] He had already circulated election literature before withdrawing his candidacy.[14] O'Flynn later slated the FF leadership for allegedly failing to properly support the Seanad election bid of his son, Ken, in mid 2011.

O'Flynn left Fianna Fáil in 2015, due to his dissatisfaction with party leader Micheál Martin. In March 2014, he criticised party leader Micheál Martin and said the party was cannibalising itself under his leadership. O'Flynn said that Martin was “an interim leader” and that he was still closely associated with Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen, with whom he served in cabinet. He said he was appalled by what has happened to Fianna Fáil over the past few years, and said the party had failed to attract public support since the 2011 general election. O'Flynn stated that he would never stand for Fianna Fáil again but said he might consider running as an Independent.[15] In 2016, he ruled out running in the forthcoming general election following a health scare and discussions with his family. O'Flynn said that he had consulted widely, telephoning around 1,000 of his supporters throughout the autumn and most had indicated that he should run as an independent.[16]

In 2018, O'Flynn was made an honorary tribal leader in Kenya “in recognition of his support of businesses.” O'Flynn was also given a Friendship Medal of Diplomacy by the government of Taiwan in the past. The medal was awarded by Timothy Yang, the Taiwanese foreign minister, for O'Flynn's “contribution to the advancement of bilateral relations between Ireland and Taiwan.” O'Flynn was a member of the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Society during his time in the Dáil.[17]

His son, Ken, a city councillor, left Fianna Fáil in 2020 to unsuccessfully contest the 2020 general election, after an unsuccessful attempt to be added to the party ticket in Cork.[18][19] Ken previously sought to be selected to contest the 2019 Cork North Central by-election, following the election of sitting constituency TD and party colleague Billy Kelleher to the European Parliament at the 2019 European elections. Noel supported this based on Ken topping the poll in his ward at the 2019 local elections.[20] Ken had previously stated his intentions to contest a general election in 2017.[21]

Personal life

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His son Ken O'Flynn was elected an Independent Ireland TD for Cork North-Central at the 2024 general election.[22]

References

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  1. ^ "Noel O'Flynn". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  2. ^ "Former cllr Gary O'Flynn charged with soliciting another man to murder three people". RTÉ News. 5 March 2013.
  3. ^ "Noel O'Flynn". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  4. ^ Ghosts of Fianna Fáil past return to give Martin a fright ahead of ard fheis
  5. ^ "O'Flynn is with FF on immigration". The Sunday Business Post. 28 April 2002. Archived from the original on 24 January 2005. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  6. ^ "Spotlight on immigration". 15 May 2002. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  7. ^ Says, Budapestkick (14 August 2010). ""You Live in this Area- Vote for this Area" -Noel O'Flynn Fianna Fail -2002 GE Cork North Central". Irish Election Literature. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Former FF TD O'Flynn mulls independent bid". independent. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  9. ^ "O'Flynn was once heir-apparent to an emerging political dynasty in his native city of Cork". independent. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  10. ^ Leogue, Joe (30 May 2015). "Ex TD: Son's convictions 'traumatic'". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Former FF TD begs judge not to jail son over fraud conviction". independent. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  12. ^ "TheJournal.ie - Cowen mulls over leadership decision as O'Flynn calls on him to resign". www.thejournal.ie. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  13. ^ "Noel O'Flynn not running in General Election". RTÉ News. 30 January 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  14. ^ irishelectionliterature (3 February 2011). "A 2011 Election flyer from Fianna Fail TD Noel O'Flynn". Irish Election Literature. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  15. ^ Roche, Barry. "Former TD Noel O'Flynn leaves Fianna Fáil". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  16. ^ Roche, Barry. "Former Cork Fianna Fáil TD rules out election run". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  17. ^ O'Riordan, Sean (5 May 2018). "Former TD Noel O'Flynn appointed honorary tribal leader". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  18. ^ "Ken O'Flynn leaves Fianna Fáil after 25 years to run as an Independent in Cork North Central". echo live. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  19. ^ "'Ken O'Flynn's vote will go to the highest bidder': Councillor vows to stand up for Cork North-Central". echo live. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  20. ^ English, Eoin (31 May 2019). "Performance in local election has O'Flynns eyeing Dáil". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  21. ^ "Ken O'Flynn seeks to contest next general election". C103. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  22. ^ "Cork North Central: Ken O'Flynn (II)". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
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