“Cloch le Carn” looks back on the life of the late Brian Lenihan, former Minister for Finance & Justice and the only Fianna Fáil TD in the Dublin Area to be re-elected in the 2011 general election. Brian Lenihan was destined to be a politician. His father Brian Snr, grandfather Paddy and aunt Mary O’Rourke all represented Fianna Fáil with distinction in Dáil Éireann before him, and although initially it seemed that Brian was destined for a distinguished career in law, he took a career detour in 1996 when he won the Dublin West by-election arising from the death of his father. His early years in the Dáil saw his busy himself as a backbencher and he was appointed as chairman of the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution. However, he was passed over for Ministerial Appointment on a number of occasions by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and it was only in the dying days of Ahern’s leadership that he became Minister for Justice in 2007. Within a year Ahern was gone but ensured he would be replaced as Fianna Fáil leader by Brian Cowen. Cowen, in turn, decided that Lenihan should replace himself as Minister for Finance. But in politics timing is important and within weeks of Lenihan taking over in Merrion Street what became apparent was that the economy was in meltdown. In a midnight move the Government guaranteed the banks. Brian Lenihan presented a series of harsh budgets and also set up of NAMA in an attempt to address the crisis. In his budget speech of December 2009 he predicted that the worst was over, but there was soon to be the shock that he was suffering from pancreatic cancer. The news of his cancer was broken on TV3 on St Stephen’s Day 2009 – a shock to friends and colleagues. Lenihan decided the country came first and vowed to continue as Minister for Finance even though he would have to undergo Chemo & Radiotherapy. Unfortunately on the economic front the worst was far from over and in November 2010 Lenihan had to seek an IMF bail-out for the country. It was the final straw for the Cowen lead Fianna Fáil / Green Party Government – which limped on to the new year. Brian Lenihan was respected on all sides of Leinster House and he was the only Fianna Fáil politiciian to be elected in any Dublin constituency in the 2011 General Election. The previous summer he had also been the first Fianna Fáiler to be invited to deliver the oration at the annual Michael Collins commemoration at Béal na Bláth. Sadly Brian was taken before his time at the age of 52, his death last June brought down the curtain on exactly 50 years of Lenihan family membership of both Houses of the Oireachtas. This special end of year episode of Cloch le Carn looks back on the political life of Brian Lenihan through the eyes of some of those closest to him. Contributors include his aunt – former TD and Former Minster, Mary O’Rourke, political commentator and his close friend Noel Whelan, former cabinet colleague Mary Hanafin, ex- government press secretary Eoghan Ó Neachtain and political correspondent Rónán Ó Domhnaill. Presenter/Reporter: Garry Mac Donncha Executive Producer & Director: Kevin Cummins

• published: 26 Feb 2016
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