Denis Lyons (1 August 1935 – 7 July 2014) was an Irish

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...

politician. Lyons was elected to

Cork County Council Cork County Council () is the local authority of County Cork, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001, as amended. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban pl ...

in 1972. He was elected to

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...

on his first attempt, at the 1981 general election, when he was one of two Fianna Fáil candidates returned to the

22nd Dáil The 22nd Dáil was elected at the 1981 Irish general election, 1981 general election on 11 June 1981 and met on 30 June 1981. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature), of Republic of Ireland, I ...

as TDs for the

Cork North-Central "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

constituency. He was re-elected at the next four general elections, until his defeat at the 1992 general election. He achieved ministerial office in 1987, in the

25th Dáil The 25th Dáil was elected at the 1987 general election on 17 February 1987 and met on 10 March 1987. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature), of Ireland are known as TDs. It sat with the 18 ...

, when Fianna Fáil returned to power under

Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...

Charles Haughey Charles James Haughey (; 16 September 1925 – 13 June 2006) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who led four governments as Taoiseach: December 1979 to June 1981, March to December 1982, March 1987 to June 1989, and June 1989 to February 1992 ...

and formed the 29th Government of Ireland. In March 1987, he was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Tourism and Transport with responsibility for Tourism. At the 1989 general election Fianna Fáil hoped to increase its representation in the

26th Dáil The 26th Dáil was elected at the 1989 Irish general election, 1989 general election on 15 June 1989 and met on 29 June 1989. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Republic of Ireland, Ir ...

but instead lost seats, and entered a coalition government with the

Progressive Democrats The Progressive Democrats (, literally "The Democratic Party"), commonly referred to as the PDs, were a conservative liberal political party in Ireland. The party's history spanned 24 years, from its formation in 1985 to its dissolution in 20 ...

. Lyons returned to his previous job as Minister of State, this time in the renamed Department of Tourism, Transport and Communications. He left ministerial office in a reshuffle on 11 February 1992, when

Albert Reynolds Albert Martin Reynolds (3 November 1932 – 21 August 2014) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1992 to 1994. He held various cabinet positions between 1979 and 1991, including Ministe ...

took over as Taoiseach. At the 1992 general election, Fianna Fáil won only one seat in the five-seater Cork North-Central constituency, and

Fine Gael Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, Christian democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil Éireann. The party had a member ...

's Liam Burke replaced Lyons in the

27th Dáil The 27th Dáil was elected at the 1992 general election on 25 November 1992 and met on 14 December 1992. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. It sat with the ...

. Lyons then stood unsuccessfully at the 1993

Seanad Éireann Seanad Éireann ( ; ; "Senate of Ireland") is the senate of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (defined as the house of representatives). It is commonly called the Seanad or ...

election for the

Industrial and Commercial Panel Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominat ...

. He contested the 1997 Seanad election for the

Cultural and Educational Panel Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, attitudes, and habits of the individuals in these gr ...

but again lost, and then retired from politics. He died on 7 July 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyons, Denis 1935 births 2014 deaths Fianna Fáil TDs Members of the 22nd Dáil Members of the 23rd Dáil Members of the 24th Dáil Members of the 25th Dáil Members of the 26th Dáil Ministers of state of the 25th Dáil Ministers of state of the 26th Dáil Politicians from County Cork Members of Cork County Council