Denis Gallagher

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Irish Fianna Fáil politician (1922–2001)

title: "Denis Gallagher" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1922-births", "2001-deaths", "alumni-of-st-patrick's-college,-dublin", "clann-na-poblachta-candidates-in-dáil-elections", "fianna-fáil-tds", "irish-schoolteachers", "members-of-the-20th-dáil", "members-of-the-21st-dáil", "members-of-the-22nd-dáil", "members-of-the-23rd-dáil", "members-of-the-24th-dáil", "members-of-the-25th-dáil", "ministers-of-state-of-the-25th-dáil", "ministers-of-state-of-the-23rd-dáil", "ministers-of-state-of-the-21st-dáil", "people-educated-at-coláiste-éinde", "politicians-from-county-mayo"] description: "Irish Fianna Fáil politician (1922–2001)" topic_path: "politics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Gallagher" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Irish Fianna Fáil politician (1922–2001) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
name	Denis Gallagher
image	Denis Gallagher.jpg
caption	Gallagher 1982
office	Minister of State
suboffice	Gaeltacht
subterm	1987–1989
suboffice1	Social Welfare
subterm1	Mar.–Oct. 1982
suboffice2	Industry, Commerce and Tourism
subterm2	1980–1981
office3	Minister for the Gaeltacht
taoiseach3	Charles Haughey
term_start3	11 October 1982
term_end3	14 December 1982
predecessor3	Pádraig Flynn
successor3	Paddy O'Toole
taoiseach4	Jack Lynch
term_start4	5 July 1977
term_end4	11 December 1979
predecessor4	Tom O'Donnell
successor4	Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
office5	Teachta Dála
term_start5	February 1973
term_end5	June 1989
constituency5	Mayo West
birth_date
birth_place	County Mayo, Ireland
death_date
death_place	County Mayo, Ireland
nationality	Irish
party	Fianna Fáil
spouse
children	12
education	Coláiste Éinde
alma_mater	St Patrick's College, Dublin
::

Early life

Denis Gallagher was born in Currane, by Clew Bay, facing Achill Island, County Mayo in 1922, the son of John Gallagher, a merchant, and his wife Catherine (née Gallagher). He grew up speaking English and Irish. He was educated locally and at Coláiste Éinde in Salthill. He qualified as a national school teacher having graduated from St Patrick's College in Drumcondra, Dublin. He taught in Drimnagh in Dublin for several years before returning to Mayo in 1946 to take up a teaching post. He married Hannah McHugh of Keel West, Achill in 1948, and they had twelve children.

Politics

Gallagher stood as a Clann na Poblachta candidate at the 1954 general election for Mayo North but was not elected. In the 1960s Gallagher changed allegiance and became a member of Fianna Fáil. He was elected to Mayo County Council in 1967 and was elected to Dáil Éireann on his third attempt at the 1973 general election for the Mayo West constituency. In 1974, he was appointed Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Fisheries. Fianna Fáil won the 1977 general election and Jack Lynch became Taoiseach. He appointed Gallagher as Minister for the Gaeltacht. He was an active minister with an interest in Irish language affairs. In the 1979 leadership contest Gallagher supported George Colley. However, Charles Haughey won the election, becoming Taoiseach, and Gallagher lost his position in cabinet. In March 1980, he was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Industry, Commerce and Tourism He served in this role until the Fianna Fáil lost office in June 1981. His main achievement as minister was the establishment in 1979 of a new gaeltacht authority, Údarás na Gaeltachta.

Fianna Fáil returned to government in March 1982. In October 1982, following the resignations of Martin O'Donoghue and Desmond O'Malley from the cabinet, Gallagher returned as Minister for the Gaeltacht. He remained in that post until December when Fianna Fáil went into opposition.

Following the 1987 general election, Fianna Fáil returned to government. Haughey appointed himself as Minister for the Gaeltacht as well as Taoiseach, with Gallagher as Minister of State at the Department of the Gaeltacht. Gallagher retired from politics at the 1989 general election. After his retirement, he worked to advance the Irish language cause and also served as chairman of the Gaelic Athletic Association in Mayo.

He died in Castlebar on 3 November 2001, aged 78.

References

|years = 1977–1979}} |before2= Thomas Meaney}} |years = 1980–1981 |with = Thomas Meaney}} |years = Mar.–Oct. 1982}} |years = Oct. 1982–Dec. 1982}} |years = 1987–1989}}

References

"Denis Gallagher". Oireachtas Members Database.
Clavin, Terry. "Gallagher, Denis". [[Dictionary of Irish Biography]].
"Denis Gallagher". ElectionsIreland.org.
(6 July 1977). "Ceapachain mar Airí agus Rúnaí Parlaiminte – Dáil Éireann (21st Dáil)". Houses of the Oireachtas.
(16 October 1980). "Appointment of Ministers – Dáil Éireann (21st Dáil)".
(27 October 1982). "Nomination of Members of Government: Motion – Dáil Éireann (23rd Dáil)".

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