Editing Brian Lenihan Snr

{{short description|Irish politician (1930–1995)}}
{{About|the elder politician|his son|Brian Lenihan Jnr}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image           = Brian Lenihan, 1977 (cropped).jpg
| caption         = Lenihan in 1977
| office          = [[Tánaiste]]
| taoiseach       = [[Charles Haughey]]
| term_start      = 10 March 1987
| term_end        = 31 October 1990
| predecessor     = [[Peter Barry (politician)|Peter Barry]]
| successor       = [[John Wilson (Irish politician)|John Wilson]]
| office1         = [[Minister for Defence (Ireland)|Minister for Defence]]
| taoiseach1      = Charles Haughey
| term_start1     = 12 July 1989
| term_end1       = 31 October 1990
| predecessor1    = [[Michael J. Noonan (Fianna Fáil politician)|Michael J. Noonan]]
| successor1      = [[Brendan Daly (politician)|Brendan Daly]]
| office2         = [[Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine|Minister for Agriculture]]
| taoiseach2      = Charles Haughey
| term_start2     = 9 March 1982
| term_end2       = 14 December 1982
| predecessor2    = [[Alan Dukes]]
| successor2      = [[Austin Deasy]]
| office3         = [[Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications|Minister for Fisheries]]
| taoiseach3      = [[Jack Lynch]]
| term_start3     = 5 July 1977
| term_end3       = 12 December 1979
| predecessor3    = [[Paddy Donegan]]
| successor3      = [[Paddy Power (Irish politician)|Paddy Power]]
| office4         = [[Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade|Minister for Foreign Affairs]]
| taoiseach4      = Charles Haughey
| term_start4     = 10 March 1987
| term_end4       = 12 July 1989
| predecessor4    = Peter Barry
| successor4      = [[Gerry Collins (politician)|Gerry Collins]]
| taoiseach5      = Charles Haughey
| term_start5     = 12 December 1979
| term_end5       = 30 June 1981
| predecessor5    = [[Michael O'Kennedy]]
| successor5      = [[John M. Kelly (politician)|John Kelly]]
| taoiseach6      = Jack Lynch
| term_start6     = 3 January 1973
| term_end6       = 14 March 1973
| predecessor6    = Patrick Hillery
| successor6      = Garret FitzGerald
| office7         = [[Minister for Transport (Ireland)|Minister for Transport and Power]]
| taoiseach7      = Jack Lynch
| term_start7     = 2 July 1969
| term_end7       = 3 January 1973
| predecessor7    = [[Erskine Hamilton Childers|Erskine Childers]]
| successor7      = Michael O'Kennedy
| office8         = [[Minister for Education (Ireland)|Minister for Education]]
| taoiseach8      = Jack Lynch
| term_start8     = 26 March 1968
| term_end8       = 2 July 1969
| predecessor8    = Jack Lynch
| successor8      = [[Pádraig Faulkner]]
| office9         = [[Minister for Justice (Ireland)|Minister for Justice]]
| taoiseach9      = [[Seán Lemass]]<br>Jack Lynch
| term_start9     = 3 November 1964
| term_end9       = 26 March 1968
| predecessor9    = Seán Lemass
| successor9      = [[Mícheál Ó Móráin]]
| office10        = [[Minister of State (Ireland)|Parliamentary Secretary]]
| suboffice10     = [[Minister of State at the Department of Justice|Justice]]
| subterm10       = 1961–1964
| suboffice11     = [[Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications|Lands]]
| subterm11       = 1961–1964
| office12        = [[Teachta Dála]]
| term_start12    = [[1977 Irish general election|June 1977]]
| term_end12      = 1 November 1995
| constituency12  = [[Dublin West (Dáil constituency)|Dublin West]]
| term_start13    = [[1977 Irish general election|June 1977]]
| term_end13      = [[1981 Irish general election|June 1981]]
| constituency13  = [[Dublin County West (Dáil constituency)|Dublin County West]]
| term_start14    = [[1969 Irish general election|June 1969]]
| term_end14      = [[1973 Irish general election|February 1973]]
| constituency14  = [[Roscommon-Leitrim (Dáil constituency)|Roscommon-Leitrim]]
| term_start15    = [[1961 Irish general election|October 1961]]
| term_end15      = [[1969 Irish general election|June 1969]]
| constituency15  = [[Roscommon (Dáil constituency)|Roscommon]]
{{collapsed infobox section begin
| cont           = yes
| last           = yes
| Other parliamentary offices
| titlestyle     = border:1px dashed lightgrey;
}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| embed          = yes
| office         = [[Member of the European Parliament]]
| term_start     = 13 March 1973
| term_end       = 16 June 1977
| constituency   = [[Oireachtas|Oireachtas Delegation]]
| office1        = [[Seanad Éireann|Senator]]
| term_start1    = 1 June 1973
| term_end1      = 16 June 1977
| term_start2    = 22 May 1957
| term_end2      = 4 October 1961
| constituency2  = [[Industrial and Commercial Panel]]{{Collapsed infobox section end}}}}
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1930|11|17|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Dundalk]], [[County Louth]], Ireland
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1995|11|1|1930|11|17|df=y}}
| death_place         = [[Castleknock]], [[Dublin]], Ireland
| nationality         = [[Irish people|Irish]]
| party               = [[Fianna Fáil]]
| spouse              = {{marriage|Anne Devine|1958}}
| children            = 7, including [[Brian Lenihan Jnr|Brian]] and [[Conor Lenihan|Conor]]
| father              = [[Patrick Lenihan]]
| relatives           = {{Ubl|[[Mary O'Rourke]] (sister)|[[Feargal O'Rourke]] (nephew)}}
| education           = [[Marist College, Athlone]]
| alma_mater          = {{Ubl|[[University College Dublin]]|[[King's Inns]]}}
}}
'''Brian Patrick Lenihan''' (17 November 1930 – 1 November 1995) was an Irish [[Fianna Fáil]] politician who served as [[Tánaiste]] from 1987 to 1990, [[Minister for Defence (Ireland)|Minister for Defence]] from 1989 to 1990, [[Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine|Minister for Agriculture]] from March 1982 to December 1982, [[Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications|Minister for Fisheries]] from 1977 to 1979, [[Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade|Minister for Foreign Affairs]] from 1987 to 1989, 1979 to 1981 and January 1973 to March 1973, [[Minister for Transport (Ireland)|Minister for Transport and Power]] from 1969 to 1973, [[Minister for Education (Ireland)|Minister for Education]] from 1968 to 1969, [[Minister for Justice (Ireland)|Minister for Justice]] from 1964 to 1969, [[Minister of State at the Department of Justice|Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Justice]] and [[Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications|Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Lands]] from 1961 to 1964. He served as a [[Teachta Dála]] (TD) from 1961 to 1973 and from 1977 to 1995. He served as a [[Seanad Éireann|Senator]] for the [[Industrial and Commercial Panel]] from 1957 to 1961 and 1973 to 1977. He also served as a [[Member of the European Parliament]] (MEP) for the [[Oireachtas]] from 1973 to 1977.<ref name=oireachtas_db>{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Brian-Lenihan-Snr.S.1957-05-22/|title=Brian Lenihan Snr|work=Oireachtas Members Database|access-date=13 March 2012|archive-date=7 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107145548/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Brian-Lenihan-Snr.S.1957-05-22|url-status=live}}</ref>

He was a member of a family political dynasty; his father, [[Patrick Lenihan]], and sister both followed him into [[Dáil Éireann]]; his sister [[Mary O'Rourke]] sitting in cabinet with him.<ref name=RTE_20241003>{{Cite news |date=3 Oct 2024 |title=President leads tributes following death of minister Mary O'Rourke|url=https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2024/1003/1473384-mary-orourke/|access-date=3 October 2024|work=[[RTÉ News]]}}</ref> Two of his sons, [[Brian Lenihan Jnr]] and [[Conor Lenihan]], became [[Teachta Dála|TDs]] in the 1990s. Brian Lenihan Jnr served as [[Minister for Finance (Ireland)|Minister for Finance]] and Conor was [[Minister of State (Ireland)|Minister of State]] in the government of Taoiseach [[Brian Cowen]]. Two phrases associated with Lenihan Snr, ''No problem'' and ''On mature recollection'', entered the Irish political lexicon.{{citation needed|date=November 2011}}

==Early life==
Born in [[Dundalk]], [[County Louth]], Lenihan was the son of [[Patrick Lenihan]] and Anne Scanlon.<ref name=dib>{{cite web|url=https://www.dib.ie/biography/lenihan-brian-joseph-a4788|title=Lenihan, Brian Joseph|work=[[Dictionary of Irish Biography]]|last=White|first=Lawrence William|access-date=14 January 2023}}</ref> His father had been active in the [[Irish Republican Army]], which saw action during the [[Irish War of Independence]] and the [[Irish Civil War]]. He had been an admirer of [[Michael Collins (Irish leader)|Michael Collins]] and took the pro-[[Anglo-Irish Treaty|Treaty]] side in 1922, before later returning to his studies and qualifying as a teacher.

Lenihan, who was one of five children, grew up in [[Athlone]]. He was educated at [[Marist College, Athlone|Marist College]] in the town before later studying law at [[University College Dublin]] (UCD), where he was actively involved in the Law Society as a Committee Member, and also played football for [[University College Dublin A.F.C.|UCD]], scoring against [[Sligo Rovers]] in the 1952–1953 [[FAI Cup]]. He later qualified as a barrister from [[King's Inns]]. He then practised law for a few years before becoming a full-time politician.

==Political career==
===Beginnings===
Lenihan first entered politics in 1954, when he ran as a [[Fianna Fáil]] candidate in [[Longford–Westmeath (Dáil constituency)|Longford–Westmeath]] in that year's [[1954 Irish general election|general election]]. Of the four Fianna Fáil candidates, Lenihan was the only one not to be elected.

Three years later Lenihan contested the [[1957 Irish general election|1957 general election]], this time in the [[Roscommon (Dáil constituency)|Roscommon]] constituency. Although he received more first preferences than any of the other Fianna Fáil candidates, he lost out on a Dáil seat once again. In spite of this, he was elected to the [[Seanad Éireann|Seanad]] for the [[Industrial and Commercial Panel]] in 1957<ref name=oireachtas_db/>

After four years as a senator, Lenihan finally secured a seat in [[Dáil Éireann]], following his success at the [[1961 Irish general election|1961 general election]] in Roscommon.<ref name=elecs_irl>{{cite web|url=http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=2517|title=Brian Lenihan|work=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=13 March 2012|archive-date=12 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120412034406/http://www.electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=2517|url-status=live}}</ref> He had the distinction of being made a [[Minister of State (Ireland)|Parliamentary Secretary]] on his first day in the Dáil as a TD, serving under both Minister for Lands [[Mícheál Ó Móráin]] and Minister for Justice [[Charles Haughey]].

===Minister for Justice===
A cabinet reshuffle saw Lenihan join the cabinet of [[Seán Lemass]] in 1964, as [[Minister for Justice (Ireland)|Minister for Justice]]. His predecessor in the office, Charles Haughey, [[systematic review|systematically reviewed]], repealed or amended Acts dating back 700 years in the single largest reform of the Irish civil and criminal code ever undertaken. Lenihan carried the legislative programme, covering everything from repealing mediæval laws to granting succession rights to married women. As Minister, it was Lenihan who repealed Ireland's notorious [[censorship]] laws.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Martin|first=Peter|date=2006|title=Irish Censorship in Context|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/30095841|journal=Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review|volume=95|issue=379|pages=261–268|jstor=30095841|issn=0039-3495}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-07-20|title=The Irish writers banned in their own land|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-20455179.html|access-date=2021-03-19|website=Irish Examiner|language=en|archive-date=1 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901230121/https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-20455179.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Controversially he also suggested that Ireland should rejoin the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], though it is unclear whether that suggestion actually reflected ''his'' opinion or whether he was simply raising the issue at Lemass's request to gauge public reaction.

===Minister for Education===
In 1968, Lemass's successor [[Jack Lynch]] appointed Lenihan as Minister for Education. As Minister, he controversially proposed{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} the merger of Dublin's (then) two universities, [[Trinity College Dublin]] (TCD) and [[University College Dublin]] (UCD).{{efn|Both still exist, alongside a third since created, [[Dublin City University]], formerly the National Institute for Higher Education, Dublin (NIHE, Dublin).}} The scheme was abandoned after mass opposition, Lenihan famously being forced to flee student protests in Trinity through a toilet window. Lenihan was also Minister during a 19-day secondary teachers' strike in February 1969.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1969/0224/Pg001.html|title=Secondary schools back today|date=24 February 1969|access-date=13 December 2009|newspaper=The Irish Times|archive-date=18 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018220539/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1969/0224/Pg001.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Minister for Transport and Power===
Following the [[1969 Irish general election|1969 general election]], Fianna Fáil returned to power for a fourth successive term of office. Lenihan had hopes of further promotion within the cabinet, however, his appointment as [[Minister for Transport (Ireland)|Minister for Transport and Power]] was largely seen as a demotion.

===Minister for Foreign Affairs===
In 1973, [[Patrick Hillery]] was appointed as Ireland's [[European Commissioner]], upon the Irish entry to the [[European Economic Community]]. Lenihan then finally secured his much sought-after portfolio, that of [[Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade|Minister for Foreign Affairs]]. His tenure was short-lived, as the government fell and a new [[Fine Gael]]-[[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour Party]] government took office, following the [[1973 Irish general election|1973 general election]].

==Political return==
Lenihan also dramatically lost his [[Roscommon–Leitrim (Dáil constituency)|Roscommon–Leitrim]] seat. He once again became a Senator, becoming his party's leader in the upper house. In 1973, he was appointed a member of the [[List of members of the European Parliament for Ireland, 1973–77|second delegation]] from the [[Oireachtas]] to the [[European Parliament]].

He moved his political base from rural Roscommon to [[Dublin West (Dáil constituency)|Dublin West]], where he was elected as a TD at the [[1977 Irish general election|1977 general election]], which saw a landslide victory for Fianna Fáil. Jack Lynch appointed him Minister for Forestry and Fisheries.

At Lynch's retirement in 1979, Fianna Fáil saw a leadership battle between Charles Haughey (the radical republican candidate) and [[George Colley]] (the party establishment candidate and mild republican). Lenihan dismissed the choice as being between a "knave and a fool". He also described himself as being the "x in ''Oxo''".{{efn|''[[Oxo (food)|Oxo]]'' is a well-known brand of stock cube.}} He was believed to have backed Colley. Years later he claimed he had actually supported Haughey, but not everyone accepted this assertion.

Haughey, seeking to weaken the faction supporting Colley, appointed Lenihan as Minister for Foreign Affairs, a post he held until Fianna Fáil lost power in 1981. His period in Foreign Affairs was overshadowed by a comment made after an [[Anglo-Irish]] summit between Haughey and [[British Prime Minister]] [[Margaret Thatcher]], when he spoke of Britain and Ireland being able to bring about [[United Ireland|Irish unity]] within ten years, a comment which infuriated the [[United Kingdom|British]] and [[Northern Ireland]] [[Unionists (Ireland)|unionists]] and which undid much of the goodwill achieved by the summit. His comments, at a time of major problems within Northern Ireland, with the [[Provisional IRA]] and [[Irish National Liberation Army]] campaigns in full swing along with [[Ulster Defence Association]] and other loyalists conducting reprisals were widely criticised in the Irish media as insensitive, especially as Irish unity had not even been on the agenda of the summit. One newspaper columnist commented simply "there goes Brian, pointlessly talking himself into trouble again".<ref>Sunday Independent.</ref> In 1982, when Fianna Fáil regained power for what would prove only ten months, Lenihan was appointed [[Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine|Minister for Agriculture]], the announcement in the Dáil being greeted by a sustained round of laughter on the opposition benches.{{Citation needed|reason=date october 2010|date=October 2010}}

==Anglo-Irish Agreement opposition==
In opposition, Lenihan and Haughey attracted some international criticism when, against the advice of senior [[Irish-American]] politicians Senator [[Ted Kennedy|Edward Kennedy]] and Speaker [[Tip O'Neill]], they campaigned against the [[Anglo-Irish Agreement]], which the government of Taoiseach [[Garret FitzGerald]] had signed with the [[British government]] of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The agreement gave Ireland an advisory role in the governance of [[Northern Ireland]]. In 1987, Fianna Fáil returned to power and Lenihan was for the third and final time appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs, with the additional post of [[Tánaiste]] (deputy prime minister). In power Haughey and Lenihan reversed their opposition to the Anglo-Irish Agreement, Lenihan attending meetings of the Anglo-Irish Conference which the Ireland's Foreign Minister and the British [[Secretary of State for Northern Ireland]] co-chaired.

==Liver transplant==
Lenihan's last period as Minister for Foreign Affairs was overshadowed by his serious ill-health. A long-standing liver problem had developed into a life-threatening issue requiring a liver transplant. Lenihan, previously a large-framed man, had been reduced to a bone-thin jaundiced-looking shadow of his former self, so ill-looking that the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, [[Tom King, Baron King of Bridgwater|Tom King]], said afterwards that on seeing Brian at an Anglo-Irish Conference meeting, he had speculated as to whether Lenihan would die at the meeting.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} In May 1989, Lenihan underwent the liver transplant at [[Mayo Clinic]] in the [[United States]]. In his absence he was re-elected to the Dáil in the [[1989 Irish general election|1989 general election]] for Dublin West, after which, while remaining Tánaiste, he was made [[Minister for Defence (Ireland)|Minister for Defence]]. Lenihan returned to Irish politics with a new lease of life. When he entered the Dáil chamber he received an ovation, an indication of his personal cross-party popularity.

It was revealed subsequently that Lenihan's operation was partly paid for through fundraising by Taoiseach Charles Haughey, from businessmen with Fianna Fáil links. In evidence to the [[Moriarty Tribunal]] investigating Haughey's finances, it was established that much of the money raised but not ultimately needed for the operation was redirected by Haughey into his own personal bank account.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.moriarty-tribunal.ie/images/sitecontent_26.pdf |title=Site Content |access-date=2008-10-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519021238/http://www.moriarty-tribunal.ie/images/sitecontent_26.pdf |archive-date=19 May 2011  }}</ref> Haughey was revealed in the 2006 tribunal report to have been engaged in numerous acts of corruption, to finance a lifestyle considerably in excess of his earnings as a politician.

==Presidential candidate==
{{Main|1990 Irish presidential election}}
{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2023}}
In January 1990, leaks to the media suggested that Lenihan was considering seeking the Fianna Fáil nomination in the [[1990 Irish presidential election|1990 presidential election]], which was due in November 1990. Speculation abounded that this was part of a plan to discourage other parties from running candidates in the belief that Lenihan would prove unbeatable and so get the office unopposed. Labour Party leader [[Dick Spring]] indicated that Labour would run a candidate for the presidency, even if he had to stand himself. Ultimately, Labour chose former Senator [[Mary Robinson]] as its candidate.<ref name="Horgan 2000">{{cite news |last=Horgan |first=John |date=8 October 2000 |title=Shades of Browne |url=https://www.independent.ie/news/shades-of-browne/26256754.html |work=[[The Irish Independent]] |location= |access-date=19 June 2023}}</ref>

Lenihan was generally perceived as an unbeatable candidate, though he did receive a late challenge for the nomination from cabinet colleague [[John Wilson (Irish politician)|John Wilson]].{{efn|Fears grew among the party leadership that the party, in a minority government, would have great difficulty holding Lenihan's seat in a by-election, whereas Wilson had a 'safe seat' the party would have no difficulty in holding.}} However, in September 1990, Lenihan was formally nominated as his party's candidate. The main opposition party, Fine Gael chose [[Austin Currie]], a TD and former Northern Ireland cabinet minister, to be its candidate.

===The Lenihan tape===
{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2023}}
The issue of Lenihan's trustworthiness became the central issue of the second half of the presidential campaign.

In January 1982, Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald had asked President Patrick Hillery, a former government colleague of Lenihan's, to dissolve the Dáil, a request which Hillery granted.{{efn|Under the [[Constitution of Ireland]], the President has the absolute right under the consultation not to grant the Taoiseach a dissolution of the Dáil.}} If President Hillery had refused a dissolution, Charles Haughey as Leader of the Opposition, could have formed an alternative government and strengthened his own embattled position as leader of [[Fianna Fáil]]. Subsequently, it was reported in books by authors Stephen O'Byrnes and Raymond Smith, and by many political journalists in newspaper articles (some of whom had Lenihan as their source) that Lenihan had been one of the people who had made phone calls to [[Áras an Uachtaráin]], the President's official residence, on the night in question, in order to persuade or pressure Hillery to refuse a dissolution. Lenihan himself never denied his involvement in the incident. Indeed, in May 1990, he confirmed his participation in an [[Source (journalism)|on-the-record]] interview with a postgraduate student and journalist, [[Jim Duffy (journalist)|Jim Duffy]]. In September 1990, ''[[The Irish Times]]'' carried a series of articles on the presidency, one of which mentioned in passing the role of Lenihan, [[Sylvester Barrett]], and Charles Haughey in making the calls. The article in question was sourced from Duffy's interview.

In October 1990, in the midst of the presidential election, Lenihan suddenly changed his account. In an interview in the ''[[Irish Press]]'' and on [[RTÉ]]'s ''[[Questions and Answers (TV series)|Questions and Answers]]'' programme, he insisted that he had had "no hand, act or part" in efforts to pressure President Hillery. The ''Irish Times'', which was aware that Lenihan himself was Duffy's source for the original article claim, published, with Duffy's agreement, a newspaper story confirming that Lenihan had indeed made the controversial phone calls to Áras an Uachtaráin. When Lenihan's campaign manager, [[Bertie Ahern]], named Duffy on radio as someone who had interviewed Lenihan back in May, a political storm erupted in which the journalist was put under siege by the media and Fianna Fáil, leading to his reluctant decision, after consulting with lawyers, to release the portion of the tape in which Lenihan talked about the events of January 1982.

==="On mature recollection"===
{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2023}}
Lenihan's reaction severely damaged his credibility. He appeared on a live TV news bulletin, and, looking into the camera, pleaded with the Irish people to believe him, stating that "on mature recollection" he had not phoned President Hillery and his account to Duffy had been wrong. He then requested an [[Audience (head of state)|audience]] with President Hillery to seek his confirmation that he made no phone calls. No audience was granted, and his campaign manager Bertie Ahern withdrew the request – though, in a sign of the chaos enveloping the campaign, Lenihan told journalist Charlie Bird that the request was still there until the journalist played back his interview with Ahern, after which Lenihan recorded a new soundbite explaining why the request had been withdrawn.{{efn|RTÉ showed the image of Lenihan listening to the RTÉ reporter's tape recorder but the fact that he was listening to Ahern's interview before re-recording his own was not explained to viewers and only became known subsequently.}}

At this point, the opposition put down a [[motion of no confidence]] in the government. The [[Progressive Democrats]], Fianna Fáil's coalition partner, told Taoiseach Charles Haughey that unless Lenihan was either dismissed or an inquiry set up into the events of January 1982, it would pull out of government, support the opposition motion and force a general election. Though insisting that he would put no pressure on Brian Lenihan, "my friend of thirty years", Haughey drew up a letter of resignation for Lenihan's signature. Lenihan refused to sign, and Haughey formally advised President Hillery to dismiss Lenihan from the government – which Hillery, as was required constitutionally, duly did, despite grave personal concerns. Many in Fianna Fáil were disgusted with what they saw as Haughey's betrayal of his old friend, and argued that the Progressive Democrats' threat to bring down the government was a mere bluff. This would be the first in a series of events generating discontent in Fianna Fáil with Haughey's leadership, culminating in his downfall in early 1992.

===Pádraig Flynn's attack on Mary Robinson===
{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2023}}
Lenihan's dismissal led to an immediate collapse in his popularity (from mid 40% to 31% almost overnight), though his standing in the polls subsequently improved. A personal attack by former cabinet colleague [[Pádraig Flynn]] on Mary Robinson, in which he accused her of showing a "new-found interest" in her family, backfired and destroyed Lenihan's campaign. Women voters rallied to Robinson and abandoned the Lenihan campaign in droves.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rte.ie/archives/collections/news/21457427-flynn-diatribe-against-robinson/ |title=Flynn diatribe against Robinson |last= |first= |date= |website=RTE.ie |publisher= |access-date=19 June 2023 |quote=}}</ref>

===The result===
In spite of his troubled campaign, Lenihan won the largest number of first-preference votes. However, most of the votes that initially went to Austin Currie, the third-placed candidate, transferred to Mary Robinson on the second count, in what was widely seen as a pact between Fine Gael and the Labour Party. As a result, Lenihan became the first Fianna Fáil candidate to lose an Irish presidential election.

==Out of government==
Lenihan remained active in politics right up to his death in 1995. Bitter at what he saw as his betrayal by the Progressive Democrats, he campaigned{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} for Fianna Fáil to go into coalition with the Labour Party instead, something which happened after the [[1992 Irish general election|1992 general election]]. He also occasionally reviewed books, which showed an intellect{{Citation needed|date=March 2015}} that he had suppressed in his public persona as a politician.

==Death==
Brian Lenihan's health again deteriorated and he died in 1995, at the age of 64. The resulting by-election was won by his son [[Brian Lenihan Jnr]].

In the [[1997 Irish general election|1997 general election]] another son, [[Conor Lenihan]], was elected to Dáil Éireann.

==Brian Lenihan Memorial Lecture==
A Brian Lenihan Memorial Lecture is delivered annually in the Irish Institute of European Affairs. The first guest speaker was the late [[Roy Jenkins|Lord Jenkins of Hillhead]] (previously known as Roy Jenkins; formerly British [[Home Secretary]] and [[President of the European Commission]]). In 2001, the lecture was given by [[Chris Patten]], former British [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] Minister and MP, former [[Governor of Hong Kong]] and current British European Commissioner.

==Footnotes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Bruce Arnold, ''Jack Lynch, Hero in Crisis'' (Merlin, 2001) {{ISBN|1-903582-06-7}}
* James Downey, ''Lenihan: His Life and Loyalties'' (New Island Books 1998) {{ISBN|1-874597-97-9}}
* Fergus Finlay, ''Snakes and Ladders'' (New Island Books, 1998) 1874597766
* Joe Joyce and Peter Murtagh, ''The Boss: Charles J. Haughey in Government'' (Poolbeg, 1983) {{ISBN|0-905169-69-7}}
* Brian Lenihan, ''For the Record'' (Blackwater Press), {{ISBN|0-86121-362-9}}
* T. Ryle Dwyer, ''Nice Fellow: A Biography of Jack Lynch'' (Mercier, 2001) {{ISBN|1-85635-368-0}}
* T. Ryle Dwyer, ''Short Fellow: A Biography of Charles J. Haughey'' (Mercier, 1995) {{ISBN|1-86023-100-4}}
* T. Ryle Dwyer, ''Fallen Idol: Haughey's Controversial Career'' (Mercier 1997) {{ISBN|1-85635-202-1}}
* Raymond Smith, ''Haughey and O'Malley: The Quest for Power'' (Aherlow, 1986) {{ISBN|1-870138-00-7}}
* Dick Walsh, ''Inside Fianna Fáil'' (Gill & Macmillan, 1986) {{ISBN|0-7171-1446-5}}

==External links==
* [http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/papers/1990/90031600.html Vice-President Bush's speech in the White House, St. Patrick's Eve (16 March) where Brian Lenihan was guest of honour]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20030625093621/http://www.local.ie/content/22004.shtml Media report of Haughey's alleged misappropriation of money donated for Brian Lenihan's liver transplant]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20030621001519/http://ted.examiner.ie/archives/1999/October/30/opinionpage_8.htm IRISH EXAMINER columnist T. Ryle Dwyer in 1999 on the controversy of Haughey's alleged embezzlement of funds for Lenihan's liver transplant]
* [http://www.irlnet.com/aprn/archive/1998/November26/26book.html Review of James Downey's biography of Brian Lenihan in An Phoblacht]

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-new|office}}
{{s-ttl|title  = [[Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications|Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Lands]]
       |years  = 1961–1964}}
{{s-aft|after  = [[George Colley]]}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Charles Haughey]]|rows = 2}}
{{s-ttl|title  = [[Minister of State at the Department of Justice|Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Justice]]
       |years  = 1961–1964}}
{{s-non|reason = Office abolished}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-ttl|title  = [[Minister for Justice (Ireland)|Minister for Justice]]
       |years  = 1964–1968}}
{{s-aft|after  = [[Mícheál Ó Móráin]]}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Donogh O'Malley]]}}
{{s-ttl|title  = [[Minister for Education (Ireland)|Minister for Education]]
       |years  = 1968–1969}}
{{s-aft|after  = [[Pádraig Faulkner]]}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Erskine Hamilton Childers|Erskine H. Childers]]}}
{{s-ttl|title  = [[Minister for Transport (Ireland)|Minister for Transport and Power]]
       |years  = 1969–1973}}
{{s-aft|after  = [[Michael O'Kennedy]]}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Patrick Hillery]]}}
{{s-ttl|title  = [[Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade|Minister for Foreign Affairs]]
       |years  = 1973}}
{{s-aft|after  = [[Garret FitzGerald]]}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Mark Clinton]]}}
{{s-ttl|title  = [[Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications|Minister for Fisheries]]
       |years  = 1977–1979}}
{{s-aft|after  = [[Paddy Power (Irish politician)|Paddy Power]]}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Michael O'Kennedy]]}}
{{s-ttl|title  = [[Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade|Minister for Foreign Affairs]]
       |years  = 1979–1981}}
{{s-aft|after  = [[John M. Kelly (politician)|John Kelly]]}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Alan Dukes]]}}
{{s-ttl|title  = [[Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine|Minister for Agriculture]]
       |years  = 1982}}
{{s-aft|after  = [[Austin Deasy]]}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Peter Barry (politician)|Peter Barry]]|rows = 2}}
{{s-ttl|title  = [[Tánaiste]]
       |years  = 1987–1990}}
{{s-aft|after  = [[John Wilson (Irish politician)|John Wilson]]}}
{{s-ttl|title  = [[Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade|Minister for Foreign Affairs]]
       |years  = 1987–1989}}
{{s-aft|after  = [[Gerry Collins (politician)|Gerry Collins]]}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Michael J. Noonan (Fianna Fáil politician)|Michael J. Noonan]]}}
{{s-ttl|title  = [[Minister for Defence (Ireland)|Minister for Defence]]
       |years  = 1989–1990}}
{{s-aft|after  = [[Brendan Daly (politician)|Brendan Daly]]}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Ray MacSharry]]}}
{{s-ttl|title  = [[Leader of Fianna Fáil#Deputy_leaders|Deputy leader of Fianna Fáil]]
       |years  = 1983–1990}}
{{s-aft|after  = [[John Wilson (Irish politician)|John Wilson]]}}
{{s-end}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenihan, Brian Snr}}
[[Category:1930 births]]
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