Mark Killilea Jnr | |
|---|---|
 Killileac. 1980s | |
| Minister of State | |
| 1979–1981 | Posts and Telegraphs |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 31 March 1987 – 11 June 1999 | |
| Constituency | Connacht–Ulster |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office June 1981 – February 1982 | |
| Constituency | Galway West |
| In office June 1977 – June 1981 | |
| Constituency | Galway East |
| Senator | |
| In office 13 May 1982 – 25 April 1987 | |
| In office 5 November 1969 – 16 June 1977 | |
| Constituency | Labour Panel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1939-09-05)5 September 1939 Tuam,County Galway, Ireland |
| Died | 31 December 2018(2018-12-31) (aged 79) Tuam, County Galway, Ireland |
| Political party | Fianna Fáil |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 10 |
| Occupation | Farmer |
Mark Killilea Jnr (5 September 1939 – 31 December 2018) was a farmer, auctioneer and agricultural contractor[1] who served as an IrishFianna Fáil politician. In a 30-year political career, served as aTeachta Dála (TD) andMember of the European Parliament (MEP) and also as a Senator.[2]
Mark Killilea was born inTuam,County Galway in 1939. He married Anne Severs in 1966. His fatherMark Killilea Snr was aFianna Fáil TD and a founder-member of the party. Killilea Jnr was educated locally and first held political office in August 1969, when he was elected toSeanad Éireann on theLabour Panel and re-elected in 1973. He failed to be elected toDáil Éireann on his first attempt when he stood inGalway North-East at the1973 general election, but at the1977 general election he won a seat in the newGalway East constituency.[3] The election was a landslide for Fianna Fáil and in particular showed the popularity of the party leaderJack Lynch.
However, after just two years Lynch's fortunes had changed. Along withJackie Fahey,Tom McEllistrim,Seán Doherty andAlbert Reynolds, Killilea was one of the so-called "gang of five" that lobbied the parliamentary party for support forCharles Haughey in the event of the retirement of Lynch's retirement. This group was determined that the leadership should not pass toGeorge Colley, Lynch's apparent successor. Haughey went on to win theleadership contest and becomeTaoiseach in December 1979.
Killilea's loyalty to Haughey was rewarded by his being appointedMinister of State at the Department of Posts and Telegraphs after Haughey became Taoiseach. He held this position until Fianna Fáil's defeat at the1981 general election—at which, after changes in constituency boundaries, he switched to theGalway West constituency.
He lost his Dáil seat there at theFebruary 1982 general election, but was elected to the Seanad where he served until 1987. In an incident in 1982, Senator Killilea led someWorkers' Party Teachtaí Dáil into the Dáil chamber through thepress gallery, when all other entrances to the chamber had been locked due to the running of a Dáil vote, (nomination ofCharles Haughey to the office ofTaoiseach).[4] AfterRay MacSharry retired from theEuropean Parliament in 1987, Killilea was appointed as his replacement in theConnacht–Ulster constituency. Killilea held the seat at the1989 and1994 European Parliament elections, and was elected asQuaestor by his fellow MEPs in 1996. He retired from politics at the1999 European Parliament election.
In 2021, an Irish documentary made by Teresa Lavina,Untold Secrets, reported the testimony of Anne Silke, a survivor of theTuam Mother and Baby Home, that she had been physically assaulted by Killilea Jnr on several occasions while in the foster care of his parentsMark Killilea Snr and his wife. She said Killilea Jnr lashed her with a horsewhip until she was bloody on several instances.[5] Donagh Killilea, a son of Killlilea Jnr, said that the allegations by Silke were "unverified" and "inaccurate".[5]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of State at the Department of Posts and Telegraphs 1979–1981 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| People | |
