Paddy Donegan

Paddy Donegan
Minister for Fisheries
In office 9 February 1977 – 5 July 1977
Taoiseach	Liam Cosgrave
Preceded by	Position restructured
Succeeded by	Brian Lenihan
Minister for Lands
In office 2 December 1976 – 9 February 1977
Taoiseach	Liam Cosgrave
Preceded by	Tom Fitzpatrick
Succeeded by	Position restructured
Minister for Defence
In office 14 March 1973 – 2 December 1976
Taoiseach	Liam Cosgrave
Preceded by	Jerry Cronin
Succeeded by	Liam Cosgrave
Teachta Dála
In office October 1961 – June 1981
In office May 1954 – March 1957
Constituency	Louth
Senator
In office 22 May 1957 – 4 October 1961
Constituency	Agricultural Panel
Personal details
Born	(1923-10-29)29 October 1923 Monasterboice, County Louth, Ireland
Died	26 November 2000(2000-11-26) (aged 77) County Louth, Ireland
Political party	Fine Gael
Spouse	Olivia Macken ​ (m. 1949)​
Children	4
Education	Castleknock College

Patrick Sarsfield Donegan (29 October 1923 – 26 November 2000) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as a government minister from 1973 to 1977. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1954 to 1957 and 1961 to 1981. He also served as a Senator for the Agricultural Panel from 1957 to 1961.

He was born on 29 October 1923 at Monasterboice, County Louth, son of Thomas Francis Donegan, a publican and farmer, and Rose Ann Donegan (née Butterly). He was educated at a Christian Brothers School in Drogheda, County Louth and at the Vincentian Castleknock College, Dublin.

Donegan was elected as a Fine Gael TD for the Louth constituency at the 1954 general election. He lost his seat at the 1957 general election, but was elected to Seanad Éireann as a Senator for the Agricultural Panel. He regained his Dáil seat at the 1961 general election.

In the Fine Gael–Labour Party coalition government which took office after the 1973 general election Donegan was appointed as Minister for Defence. In October 1976, Donegan made a speech on an official visit to the opening of new kitchen facilities in an army barracks at Mullingar, County Westmeath in which he described as a "thundering disgrace" President Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh's refusal to sign the Emergency Powers Bill 1976. Ó Dálaigh had instead exercised his powers under Article 26 of the Constitution to refer it to the Supreme Court. The Taoiseach, Liam Cosgrave, refused Donegan's resignation. On 21 October, Fianna Fáil proposed a motion in the Dáil calling on the minister to resign, which was defeated. Ó Dálaigh viewed the refusal to remove the minister as an affront to his office by the government and resigned on 22 October 1976.

In December 1976, Donegan was appointed as Minister for Lands. In February 1977, this office was restructured as the Minister for Fisheries. He served in cabinet until the government lost office after the 1977 general election.

Donegan retired from politics at the 1981 general election, and died in 2000. Tributes in the Dáil were led by John Bruton as Fine Gael leader. He was buried in his home town of Monasterboice, County Louth.