Paddy Harte

Patrick Harte OBE (26 July 1931 – 8 January 2018) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served for 36 years as Teachta Dála (TD) for Donegal North-East.^[1]

Paddy Harte
Minister of State
1981–1982	Posts and Telegraphs
Teachta Dála
In office June 1981 – June 1997
Constituency	Donegal North-East
In office July 1977 – June 1981
Constituency	Donegal
In office October 1961 – July 1977
Constituency	Donegal North-East
Personal details
Born	(1931-07-26)26 July 1931 Lifford, County Donegal, Ireland
Died	8 January 2018(2018-01-08) (aged 86) Lifford, County Donegal, Ireland
Political party	Fine Gael
Spouse	Rosaleen Harte ​ (m. 1953)​
Children	9, including Jimmy
Occupation	Butcher

Early life and family

He was born in 1931 in Lifford, County Donegal. His son, Jimmy Harte, is a former Labour Party Senator.

Political career

He was first elected to the 17th Dáil at the 1961 general election, and re-elected at eleven further general elections.^[2] From 1981 to 1982, he was Minister of State at the Department of Posts and Telegraphs in Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald's government. At the 1989 European Parliament election, he was an unsuccessful candidate in the Connacht–Ulster constituency. He temporarily lost the Fine Gael whip when he abstained in a vote on the Regulation of Information (Services Outside the State For Termination of Pregnancies) Bill 1995 proposed by the government.^[3][4]

He lost his seat at the 1997 general election to the Independent Fianna Fáil candidate Harry Blaney, and unsuccessfully contested the 1997 election to the 21st Seanad for the Industrial and Commercial Panel. After this, he retired from politics.

Post-retirement

After his retirement, he was involved in a number of projects, including (along with Glenn Barr) the Messines Island of Ireland Peace Park in West Flanders in Belgium. This park was officially opened in November 1998 by President Mary McAleese, Queen Elizabeth II and King Albert II of Belgium to commemorate all Irishmen who died in World War I.

Harte died the morning of 8 January 2018 at the age of 86.^[5] The Dáil heard tributes to him in December 2018.^[6]

Awards

He was appointed an Honorary OBE in October 2006 for his ecumenical works. He received an honorary doctorate of laws from the National University of Ireland in September 2007 in recognition of his contribution to politics.

Publications

• Harte, Paddy (2005). Young Tigers and Mongrel Foxes: A life in politics. Dublin: The O'Brien Press.