Blaney, Neil

Persoon

Blaney, Neil

• Blaney, Neil Terence Columba
• Neil Óg

1922-1995

Neil Terence Columba Blaney was born in Rossnakill, County Donegal on 1 October 1922, the eldest of the eleven children of Neal (Neil) Blaney, TD, and his wife, Nora (née Sweeney). He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1948 as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála representing Donegal East. Blaney served as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs (1957), Minister for Local Government (1957–1966) and Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries (1966–1970). In an incident known as the Arms Crisis, Blaney, along with Charles J Haughey, was sacked from Taoiseach Jack Lynch's cabinet amid allegations of the use of funds to import arms for use by the Irish Republican Army. Haughey and Blaney were subsequently tried in court along with an army Officer, Captain James Kelly, and Albert Luykx, a Belgian businessman who allegedly used his contacts to buy the arms. At trial, all the accused were acquitted. Although Blaney was cleared of wrongdoing, his ministerial career was brought to an end. Following his expulsion from the Fianna Fáil party, Blayney contested all subsequent elections for Independent Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party, an organisation that he built up, chiefly in the County Donegal constituencies from disaffected members of the Fianna Fáil party who remained loyal to him along with a large number of Republicans. Blaney contracted cancer from which he died at the age of 73 on 8 November 1995.

27th Dáil: 1992 - 1995
Independent

26th Dáil: 1989 - 1992
Independent

25th Dáil: 1987 - 1989
Independent

24th Dáil: 1982 - 1987
Independent

23rd Dáil: 1982 - 1982
Independent

22nd Dáil: 1981 - 1982
Independent

21st Dáil: 1977 - 1981
Independent

20th Dáil:1973 - 1977
Independent

19th Dáil: 1969 - 1973
Independent (1972 - 1973)
Fianna Fáil (1969 - 1972)
Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries (1969 - 1970)

18th Dáil: 1965 - 1969
Fianna Fáil
Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries (1966 - 1969)
Minister for Local Government (1965 - 1966)

17th Dáil: 1961 - 1965
Fianna Fáil
Minister for Local Government (1961 - 1965)

16th Dáil: 1957 - 1961
Fianna Fáil
Minister for Local Government (1957 - 1961)
Minister for Posts and Telegraphs (1957 - 1957)

15th Dáil: 1954 - 1957
Fianna Fáil

14th Dáil: 1951 - 1954
Fianna Fáil

13th Dáil: 1948 - 1951
Independent

IE DCUA

ISAAR (CPF)

• Engels

Dictionary of Irish Biography (2014) https://doi.org/10.3318/dib.000731.v1