‘Mammy of the Dáil’ recalls loss of Lenihan in her memoir

Former minister Mary O’Rourke writes candidly about her political, family, and personal life in her memoirs which were last night launched by Mary McAleese, the former president.

In the book, Ms O’Rourke describes life as a woman in the male world of politics, the sexism she sometimes had to deal with, and the difficulties of balancing her busy career with raising a family.

The former TD and deputy leader of Fianna Fáil also talks candidly about the characters she worked with, many of whom defined an era, including Charlie Haughey, Garret FitzGerald, Pádraig Flynn, and Bertie Ahern.