Editing Patrick Lalor (section)

==Political career==
Lalor was elected to [[Dáil Éireann]] on his first attempt at the [[1961 Irish general election|1961 general election]] as a [[Fianna Fáil]] [[Teachta Dála|TD]] for [[Laois–Offaly (Dáil constituency)|Laois–Offaly]] in the [[17th Dáil]].<ref name=oireachtas_db>{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Patrick-J-Lalor.D.1961-10-11/|title=Patrick J. Lalor|work=Oireachtas Members Database|access-date=30 September 2012|archive-date=6 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106210731/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Patrick-J-Lalor.D.1961-10-11|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1965, he was appointed [[Minister of State (Ireland)|Parliamentary Secretary]] to the [[Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine|Minister for Agriculture]]. The following year, Lalor became Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for [[Minister for Transport (Ireland)|Transport and Power]] and [[Minister for Posts and Telegraphs|Posts and Telegraphs]].<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Government: Eighteenth Dáil|url=http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/History_of_Government/Eighteenth_D%C3%A1il.html|publisher=Government of Ireland|access-date=2 August 2016|archive-date=17 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817194707/http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/History_of_Government/Eighteenth_D%C3%A1il.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the [[1969 Irish general election|1969 election]], Lalor joined the cabinet of [[Jack Lynch]] as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs. In the cabinet reshuffle that took place following the [[Arms Crisis]] in 1970, he took over the [[Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment|Industry and Commerce]] portfolio, serving in that position until the [[1973 Irish general election|1973 general election]], when a [[Fine Gael]]–[[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour Party]] coalition took power.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Government: Nineteenth Dáil|url=http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/History_of_Government/Nineteenth_D%C3%A1il.html|publisher=Government of Ireland|access-date=2 August 2016|archive-date=17 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817205009/http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/History_of_Government/Nineteenth_D%C3%A1il.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Fianna Fáil was re-elected in a landslide victory at the [[1977 Irish general election|1977 general election]] and Lalor became [[Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach|Government Chief Whip]] and [[Minister of State at the Department of Defence|Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence]].<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Government: Twenty-First Dáil|url=http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/History_of_Government/Twenty-First_D%C3%A1il.html|publisher=Government of Ireland|access-date=3 August 2016|archive-date=19 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819035351/http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/History_of_Government/Twenty-First_D%C3%A1il.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1979, he was elected to the [[European Parliament]] for the [[Leinster (European Parliament constituency)|Leinster constituency]]<ref name=it/> and did not stand for a fifth re-election in the [[1981 Irish general election|1981 general election]].<ref name=oireachtas_db/><ref name=elecs_irl>{{cite web|url=http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=3243|title=Patrick Lalor|work=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=30 September 2012}}</ref> He was re-elected to the European Parliament in 1984 and 1989, before retiring from politics in 1994. During his time as a member of the European Parliament, he was vice-chair of the parliamentary grouping the [[European Progressive Democrats]] and its successor the [[European Democratic Alliance]]. He was also a [[Vice-President of the European Parliament]] from 1982 to 1987.<ref>{{cite web|title=(Paddy) Patrick Joseph LALOR|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/1435/(PADDY)+PATRICK+JOSEPH_LALOR_home.html|publisher=European Parliament|access-date=2 August 2016|archive-date=16 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816232916/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/1435/(PADDY)+PATRICK+JOSEPH_LALOR_home.html|url-status=live}}</ref>