Dan Desmond

Irish Labour Party politician (1913–1964)

Daniel Desmond (3 October 1913 – 9 December 1964) was an Irish Labour Party politician and Teachta Dála (TD) for seventeen years.

Desmond was born on 3 October 1913 in Crosshaven, County Cork, the second child of two sons and four daughters of Michael Desmond, carpenter, and his wife, Hanora White, both from County Cork. He was educated at the local national school and the Municipal College of Commerce, Cork. According to historian John Horgan, he was Cork based trade unionist, and was a founder member of Fianna Fáil but broke from the party when they introduced the Wages Standstill Order in 1939. He later joined the Labour Party. However, according to the Dictionary of Irish Biography, while still at school he joined the local branch of the Labour Party and became its secretary at the age of 16. A builder's clerk, he became secretary of the Federation of Rural Workers in 1947 and was organiser at county level. He took his seat in the 13th Dáil, and was re elected at the 1951 general election and again in the 1954 and 1957 general elections, topping the poll again in 1951 and 1954. After further boundary changes, he was returned at the 1961 general election for the new 4 seat Cork Mid constituency. He was the Labour Party's chief spokesman on local government, and also had strong views on social issues in parliament, in particular housing, health and education. He was principally responsible for the passing of the Local Government (Superannuation) Act 1956, providing a pension scheme for road workers. His abiding interest was the welfare of rural workers and the rural community generally. He was parliamentary leader of his party during the Second Inter Party Government (1954–1957) and he later became deputy leader. A member of Cork County Council from 1945 until his death, he served on many committees such as the vocational educational committee, Cork housing and sanitary services, Cork health authority (health board) and the assistance board. Despite ill health, he participated strongly and at great length in important Dáil debates, and continued his constituency duties.

He married Eileen Harrington, a civil servant, in 1956, and they had two daughters. Desmond died from a cardiac infarction caused by Tuberculosis on 9 December 1964 at St Stephen's Hospital, Cork. The by election for his seat in the 17th Dáil was won on 10 March 1965 by his widow Eileen Desmond, who sat in the Oireachtas for 22 years. His daughter, Paula Desmond, was a member of Cork County Council from 1985 to 2014. In 1996, as chairperson of Cork County Council, she opened a newly constructed bridge at Belgooly, County Cork, named after her father. Two housing estates in Carrigaline and Passage West were also named in his honour.