Background
Mark Killilea was born in Tuam, County Galway in 1939. His father Mark Killilea, Snr was a Fianna Fáil Territorial Decoration and a founder-member of the party.
Member of the European Parliament
Mark Killilea was born in Tuam, County Galway in 1939. His father Mark Killilea, Snr was a Fianna Fáil Territorial Decoration and a founder-member of the party.
Spoken languages: English.
However, after just two years Lynch"s fortunes had changed. Along with Jackie Fahey, Tom McEllistrim, Seán Doherty and Albert Reynolds, Killilea was one of the so-called "gang of five" that lobbied the parliamentary party for support for Charles Haughey in the event of the retirement of Jack Lynch. This group was determined that the leadership should not pass to George Colley, Lynch"s apparent successor.
Killilea"s loyalty was rewarded by being appointed Minister of State at the Department of Posts and Telegraphs.
He held this position until Fianna Fáil"s defeat at the 1981 general election. After changes in constituency boundaries, Killilea had switched to the Galway West constituency in 1981, where he lost his Dáil seat at the February 1982 general election, but was elected to the Seanad where he served until 1987.
After Ray MacSharry retired from the European Parliament in 1987, Killilea was appointed as his replacement in the Connacht–Ulster constituency. Killilea held the seat at the 1989 and 1994 European Parliament elections and was elected as Quaestor by his fellow MEPs in 1996.
He retired from politics at the 1999 European Parliament election.
In a 30-year political career, served as a Teachta Dála (Territorial Decoration) and Member of the European Parliament (Member of the European Parliament) and also as a Senator. Killilea Jnr was educated locally and first held political office in August 1969, when he was elected to Seanad Éireann on the Labour Panel and re-elected in 1973. The election was a landslide for Fianna Fáil and in particular showed the popularity of the party leader Jack Lynch.