Thomas Meaney

For the U.S. federal judge, see Thomas Francis Meaney.

Thomas Meaney (11 August 1931 – 26 December 2022) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Minister of State from 1980 to 1981. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1965 to 1981. He also edited the literary magazine Granta.

Thomas Meaney
Minister of State
1980–1981	Industry, Commerce and Tourism
Teachta Dála
In office June 1981 – November 1982
Constituency	Cork North-West
In office April 1965 – June 1981
Constituency	Cork Mid
Personal details
Born	(1931-08-11)11 August 1931 Millstreet, County Cork, Ireland
Died	26 December 2022(2022-12-26) (aged 91) Derrinagree, County Cork, Ireland
Political party	Fianna Fáil
Spouse	Joan O'Donoghue ​ ​ (m. 1961; died 2021)​
Children	6
Parent	Con Meaney (father)

Before entering politics Meaney worked as a farmer. His father Con Meaney was also a Fianna Fáil TD. When his father retired at the 1965 general election, Tom Meaney succeeded him as the Fianna Fáil TD for the Cork Mid constituency.^[1] He was re-elected at every subsequent general election until his retirement from politics at the November 1982 general election.^[2] In March 1980, he was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Industry, Commerce and Energy, serving until June 1981.^[3]

He was a member of Cork County Council from 1970 to 1977. He was part of a group of Fianna Fáil TDs known as the Gang of 22, who opposed the leadership of Charles Haughey in the early 1980s.^[4]

Meaney died on 26 December 2022, at the age of 91.^[5]

See also

• Families in the Oireachtas

Sources

• Nealon, Ted; Dunlop, Frank (1977). Ted Nealon's guide to the 21st Dáil and Seanad. ISBN 0950598410.
• Joyce, Joe; Murtagh, Peter (1983). The Boss.