Liz McManus

Liz McManus (born 23 March 1947) is a former Irish Labour Party politician who served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 2002 to 2007 and Minister of State at the Department of the Environment from 1994 to 1997. She served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wicklow constituency from 1992 to 2011.[2]

Liz McManus
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
In office
25 October 2002  4 October 2007
LeaderPat Rabbite
Preceded byBrendan Howlin
Succeeded byJoan Burton
Minister of State at the Department of the Environment
In office
20 December 1994  26 June 1997
TaoiseachJohn Bruton
Preceded byNew office
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Teachta Dála
In office
November 1992  February 2011
ConstituencyWicklow
Personal details
Born (1947-03-23) 23 March 1947
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
NationalityIrish
Political partyLabour Party (Since 1999)
Other political
affiliations
Democratic Left (1992–99),
Workers' Party (1979–92)
Spouse(s)John McManus
(m. 1980; div. 2011)[1]
Children4
Alma materUniversity College Dublin
WebsiteOfficial website

Early life and writing career

McManus was born in 1947 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She studied Architecture at University College Dublin, where she shared a drawing desk with Ruairi Quinn.[3] McManus is an accomplished writer. She has won the Hennessy, Listowel and Irish PEN awards in fiction. Her first novel Acts of Subversion was nominated for the Aer Lingus/Irish Times Literature Prize. McManus was also a weekly columnist with the Sunday Tribune from 1986 until 1992.

Political career

She first ran for political office in 1979, when she was elected to Bray Town Council for Sinn Féin the Workers' Party. Later she was elected to Wicklow County Council. She helped establish a women's refuge in Bray in 1978 and was its convenor until 1991.

McManus was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1992 general election, as a member of Democratic Left. She retained her seat in every subsequent election until her retirement in 2011.[4] In 1994, Democratic Left formed a government with Fine Gael and the Labour Party, and McManus became Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal, until that coalition lost power in 1997. During this period she was also a member of the Northern Ireland Forum for Peace and Reconciliation.

In 1999, Democratic Left merged with the Labour Party, and in 2002 McManus was elected deputy leader of the Labour Party. Another former Democratic Left TD, Pat Rabbitte, became leader of the party. She also became the Labour Party Spokesperson on Health.

She was the deputy leader of the Labour Party and party Spokesperson on Health from 2002 to 2007. Following the resignation of Pat Rabbitte on 23 August 2007, she was acting leader of the Labour Party until September 2007, but chose not to stand for re-election as deputy leader, when a deputy leadership election was held. Joan Burton replaced her as deputy leader. She was party Spokesperson on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources from 2007 to 2011.

She retired from politics at the 2011 general election.[5]

Private life

She was formerly married to John McManus; the couple had four children. They publicly separated in 2006.[6] John McManus, a physician in general practice, was a Labour member of Bray Town Council from 1999 to 2009.

By February 2015 McManus had been with her new partner, Sean, also active in the Labour Party, for ten years.[1]

References

  1. Coffey, Edel (22 February 2015). "Ex-TD Liz McManus: 'Sean's the love of my life: he lives in his house and I live in mine'". Irish Independent. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  2. "Liz McManus". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  3. "Liz McManus – Biography". Ricorso. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
  4. "Liz McManus". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  5. "Labour's McManus will not seek re-election". RTÉ News. 3 September 2010. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
  6. "Break-up did not make me quit: McManus". Sunday Independent. Ireland. 2 September 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
Oireachtas
Preceded by
Seat added to constituency
Democratic Left Teachta Dála for Wicklow
1992–1999
Succeeded by
Herself
as Labour Party TD
Preceded by
Herself
as Democratic Left TD
Labour Party Teachta Dála for Wicklow
1999–2011
Succeeded by
Anne Ferris
(Labour Party)
Political offices
Preceded by
Emmet Stagg
Minister of State at the Department of the Environment
(with responsibility for Housing and Urban Renewal)

1994–1997
Succeeded by
Bobby Molloy
Preceded by
Brendan Howlin
Deputy Leader of Labour Party
2002–2007
Succeeded by
Joan Burton
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