Henry Kenny
# Henry Kenny

Henry Frances Kenny (7 September 1913 – 25 September 1975) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Minister of State at the Department of Finance from 1973 to 1975. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1954 to 1975. He was the father of former Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

He was also a Gaelic footballer who won an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medal with the Mayo county team in 1936.

## Early life

Kenny was born on Main Street, Castlebar, County Mayo, in 1913. He was educated at the local St Patrick's national school and St Gerald's College. He subsequently attended St Patrick's College in Drumcondra, Dublin, where he qualified as a national school teacher. After graduation he taught in Connemara and Williamstown, County Galway, before being appointed principal of Leitir national school in Islandeady, County Mayo.

## Football career

### Club

He played his club Gaelic football with Castlebar Mitchels club, and won several county senior championship medals in the 1930s.

### Inter-county

Kenny's performances at club level earned him a place on the senior Mayo county team. He was a member of the record-breaking Mayo team that won six consecutive National Football League titles from 1934 until 1939. Kenny also won an All-Ireland winners' medal in 1936.

## Political career

His entry into politics was unusual in the sense that neither he nor his family were steeped in politics at the time. In spite of this he was elected to Dáil Éireann at his first attempt, at the 1954 general election, as a Fine Gael Teachta Dála (TD) for the Mayo South constituency. The election saw Fine Gael enter government as the lead party in the country's second inter-party government. Kenny, as a new TD, remained on the backbenches; however, he was subsequently elected to Mayo County Council.

Kenny retained his seat at the 1957 general election; however, Fine Gael lost power as Fianna Fáil began sixteen years of uninterrupted government. During that time he retained his Dáil seat at every general election, moving to the Mayo West constituency in 1969. That same year he was appointed Fine Gael spokesperson on the Board of Works, a position he held until 1972. The results of the 1973 general election saw Fine Gael and the Labour Party form a coalition government. Kenny was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance where he had responsibility for the Board of Works.

## Death and private life

Two years after being appointed to the government, Kenny was diagnosed with cancer. He died on 25 September 1975. He married Eithne McGinley in 1944 and they had five children. His son, Enda Kenny, was elected to the Dáil at the by-election in 1975. Another son, also Henry Kenny, was a member of Mayo County Council from 1999 to 2019. His widow Eithne Kenny died at the age of 93 in Castlebar on 26 November 2011.

