Seán Treacy (politician)
Seán Daniel Treacy was an Irish Labour Party politician who served as Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 1987 to 1997 and 1973 to 1977. He served as a Teachta Dála for the Tipperary South constituency from 1961 to 1997 and a Member of the European Parliament for the Munster constituency from 1981 to 1984.Political career
Author RM Douglas says that Treacy was a party member of fringe Fascist group Ailtirí na hAiséirghe during the 1940s, however by the 1960s Treacy had moved to the ideological left, albeit he was still considered to be socially conservative. Treacy was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1961 general election, as a Labour Party Teachta Dála for the Tipperary South constituency. He was re-elected there in seven subsequent elections, and returned automatically in three more owing to his having been elected by the Dáil as Ceann Comhairle. He was elected to that office firstly after the 1973 general election for one term, then after the 1987 general election for three.
He was expelled from the Labour Party in 1985 for voting against the family planning bill, which would have liberalised the sale of contraception in the Republic of Ireland, but was elected as an independent TD at the general election that year.
He was a member of the Irish Presidential Commission during the presidential vacancies of 1974 and 1976. He was a Member of the European Parliament from 1981 to 1984, replacing Eileen Desmond who resigned as an MEP when she was appointed Minister for Health and Social Welfare. Treacy retired from politics at the 1997 general election.
He died in Clonmel on 23 March 2018, at the age of 94. His funeral, which was attended by President Michael D. Higgins, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and former minister Martin Mansergh, was held on 26 March 2018.
