Michael Keating (born 29 September 1946) is an Irish former politician.

Early life

Keating was born in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

in 1946. He was educated at the Christian Brothers

O'Connell School The O’Connell School is a secondary and primary school for boys located on North Richmond Street in Dublin, Ireland. The school, named in honour of the leader of Catholic Emancipation, Daniel O’Connell, has the distinction of being the olde ...

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

, and St. Patrick's College in

Maynooth Maynooth (; ) is a university town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to Maynooth University (part of the National University of Ireland and also known as the National University of Ireland, Maynooth) and St Patrick's College, Maynoo ...

where he received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

. He worked as a secondary school teacher before becoming involved in politics.

Political activity

He unsuccessfully contested the 1973 general election for

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 ...

, in Dublin Central, but was elected to

Dublin City Council Dublin City Council () is the Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authority of the city of Dublin in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the authority was k ...

in 1974. He became

Lord Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin () is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent, since December 2024, is Fine Gael councillor Emma ...

in 1983. He was successful in his second attempt at a seat in

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 ...

at the 1977 general election, being elected for Dublin North-Central. In

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

he was elected in the re-created Dublin Central, and was successfully returned there at every election until retiring in 1989. He was later appointed Opposition spokesperson on urban affairs.

Minister of State

In 1981 Fine Gael formed a coalition government with the Labour Party, and Keating was appointed as

Minister of State at the Department of Education The Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth is a junior ministerial post in the Department of Education and Youth of the Government of Ireland who performs duties and functions delegated by the Minister for Education and Youth. ...

with responsibility for youth and sport. The government fell in early 1982. It was the only time he held ministerial office.

Progressive Democrats

In 1986 Keating left Fine Gael to join the newly formed

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 ...

and became deputy leader of the party. He won one of their 14 seats in the 1987 general election. He retired from politics in 1989 to concentrate on his business interests.

Alleged fraud

Keating paid €250,000 to the

Criminal Assets Bureau The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) () is a law enforcement agency in Ireland. The CAB was established with powers to focus on the illegally acquired assets of criminals involved in serious crime. The aims of the CAB are to identify the criminally ...

for unpaid tax. The Bureau had been investigating his affairs for more than three years. He was also named in a British court in 2000 as a partner in crime, in a £20m

VAT A value-added tax (VAT or goods and services tax (GST), general consumption tax (GCT)) is a consumption tax that is levied on the value added at each stage of a product's production and distribution. VAT is similar to, and is often compared wi ...

fraud.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keating, Michael 1946 births Living people Alumni of University College Dublin Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth People educated at O'Connell School Fine Gael TDs Lord mayors of Dublin 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 22nd Dáil Politicians from County Dublin Irish schoolteachers Progressive Democrats TDs Fine Gael local councillors