Joseph Bermingham

For the Irish Dean of Kilmacduagh, see Joseph Bermingham (priest).

Joseph Bermingham (9 May 1919 – 11 August 1995)^[1] was an Irish Labour Party politician.^[2]

Joseph Bermingham
Minister of State
1982–1986	Finance
1981–1982	Finance
Teachta Dála
In office February 1973 – February 1987
Constituency	Kildare
Personal details
Born	(1919-05-09)9 May 1919 County Kildare, Ireland
Died	11 August 1995(1995-08-11) (aged 76) County Kildare, Ireland
Political party	Labour Party
Education	O'Brien Institute

Bermingham was born in Castlemitchell, County Kildare. He was educated at the Christian Brothers school in Athy and the O'Brien Institute in Dublin. Bermingham worked as a shopkeeper before being elected in 1967 as a member of Kildare County Council. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Dáil Éireann at the 1969 general election and at a by-election in 1970. He was elected to the 20th Dáil as Labour Party Teachta Dála (TD) for the Kildare constituency at the 1973 general election.^[3]

After the 1981 general election, Labour and Fine Gael formed a coalition government. Bermingham was appointed by the government to the position of Minister of State at the Department of Finance with responsibility for the Office of Public Works.^[4] He served in that post until early 1982 when the government of Garret FitzGerald fell in a vote on the budget. When a new Fine Gael–Labour Party coalition came to power after the November 1982 general election Bermingham returned to same position.^[5] He lost that position as part of a reshuffle in February 1986.^[6]

Bermingham resigned from the Labour Party in June 1986, which left the government parties in a minority in the Dáil.^[7][8] He did not contest the 1987 general election. He remained active in local politics and was elected to Kildare County Council in 1991 as an Independent.^[3]