Patrick O'Toole (born 15 January 1938) is a former Irish Fine Gael politician.[1] He was nominated by the Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave to the 13th Seanad Éireann in 1973. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann on his second attempt at the 1977 general election as a Fine Gael Teachta Dála for Mayo East.[2] O'Toole was just one of a handful of new Fine Gael TDs in what has gone down in history as the biggest landslide election victory for Jack Lynch's Fianna Fáil party.
O'Toole served in both cabinets of Garret FitzGerald in the 1980s, as Minister for the Gaeltacht (1981–82, 1982–87), Minister for Tourism, Fisheries and Forestry (1982–86, 1987) and Minister for Defence (1986–87). He retained his Dáil seat at each general election until he lost it at the 1987 general election. He was nominated to the 17th Seanad to fill a vacancy after the general election. He then retired from politics.
References
- ^ "Patrick O'Toole". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
- ^ "Paddy O'Toole". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Máire Geoghegan-Quinn | Minister for the Gaeltacht 1981–1982 | Succeeded by Denis Gallagher |
| Preceded by Denis Gallagher | Minister for the Gaeltacht 1982–1987 | Succeeded by Charles Haughey |
| Preceded by Brendan Daly | Minister for Tourism, Fisheries and Forestry 1982–1986 | Succeeded by Liam Kavanagh |
| Preceded by Patrick Cooney | Minister for Defence 1986–1987 | Succeeded by Michael J. Noonan |
| Preceded by Liam Kavanagh | Minister for Tourism, Fisheries and Forestry 1987 | Succeeded by Brendan Daly |