Dr Rory O'Hanlon has paid his own tribute to fellow Fianna Fáil stalwart, Mary O'Rourke, who passed away yesterday at the age of 87. Dr O'Hanlon was Minister for Health and Mary O'Rourke Minister for Education in the 1987 Fianna Fáil Government led by Charles Haughey.
The Carrickmacross TD said they both had difficult portfolios at a time when there was no money in the kitty and their departments had to make savings but the electorate demanded they spend. Dr O'Hanlon told the Joe Finnegan Show that Mary O'Rourke was a "very organised and intelligent person with a great handle on her brief."
Mary O'Rourke once turned down the job of Shadow Minister for Women's Affairs because, as she said in her own words, she didn't want to be put in a cupboard with a sign reading "women's issues" on it for the rest of her career. However, Rory O'Hanlon, says it should not be forgotten that his colleague was one of the first women in modern times to be a minister: "
