Mary Robinson

:Mary Robinson is also the name of an English poet, see Mary Robinson (poet)

Lenihan campaign implodes

However, Lenihan's credibility was shaky and it emerged during the campaign that what he told friends and insiders in private flatly contradicted his public statements on a controversial effort in 1982 by the then opposition Fianna Fáil to pressure outgoing President Hillery into refusing a parliamentary dissolution to then Taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald; Hillery had resolutely rejected the pressure.

Related Topics:
1982 - President Hillery

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Lenihan denied he had pressured the President but then a tape was produced of an 'on the record' interview he had given to a postgraduate student the previous May in which he frankly discussed attempting to apply pressure. Lenihan claimed that "on mature recollection" he hadn't pressured the President and had been confused in his interview with the student. But the government threatened to fall over the issue.

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Within days, the "unbeatable candidate" was dismissed as Tánaiste and Minister for Defence. Though he recovered in the polls towards the end of the campaign, Lenihan became the first Fianna Fáil presidential candidate in the history of the office to lose a presidential election. At this point a cabinet colleague, Padraig Flynn launched a controversial personal attack on Mary Robinson "as a wife and mother", an attack that was itself attacked in response as "disgraceful" on live radio by Michael McDowell, a senior member of the Progressive Democrats, then in coalition with Fianna Fáil and up to that point supporting Lenihan's campaign.{{ref|McDowell}} When Robinson met McDowell later in a restaurant, she quipped, "with enemies like McDowell, who needs friends?". Flynn's attack was a fatal blow to Lenihan's campaign, causing many female supporters of Lenihan to vote for Robinson in a gesture of support.

Related Topics:
Tánaiste - Padraig Flynn - Michael McDowell - Progressive Democrats - McDowell

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Robinson became the first Labour candidate, the first woman and the first non-Fianna Fáil candidate in the history of contested presidential elections to win the presidency. Famously, RTÉ broadcast her victory speech live rather than the Angelus.

Related Topics:
RTÉ - Angelus

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