Noel Davern (24 December 1945 – 27 October 2013) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister of State from 1997 to 2002 and Minister for Education from 1991 to 1992. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Tipperary South constituency from 1969 to 1981 and 1987 to 2007. He served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Munster constituency from 1979 to 1984.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Noel-Davern.D.1969-07-02/|title=Noel Davern|work=Oireachtas Members Database|access-date=24 January 2010|archive-date=8 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108190331/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Noel-Davern.D.1969-07-02|url-status=live}}

Career

Davern was born in Cashel, County Tipperary, in 1945.{{cite web|url=https://www.dib.ie/biography/davern-noel-michael-a10030|title=Davern, Noel Michael|work=Dictionary of Irish Biography|last=Gallagher|first=Niav|access-date=18 February 2023}} He was educated at CBS Cashel and at Franciscan College in County Meath. His family had a long political tradition. His father Michael Davern was a Fianna Fáil TD from 1948 to 1965, when he was succeeded in Dáil Éireann by Noel's brother Don Davern. After Don's sudden death in 1968, the seat remained vacant until Noel was elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1969 general election.

At the 1979 European Parliament election he was elected as an MEP for the Munster constituency. He did not contest the 1981 general election so as to concentrate his time as an MEP. However, he lost his seat at the European Parliament at the 1984 European Parliament election.{{cite web|url=http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=3249|title=Noel Davern|work=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=24 January 2010|archive-date=21 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221232248/http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?id=3249|url-status=live}}

Davern was again elected to the Dáil at the 1987 general election. In 1991, he was appointed to cabinet as Minister for Education in a reshuffle that followed a failed attempt of Albert Reynolds and Pádraig Flynn to oust Charles Haughey as taoiseach. Davern's term in office was short-lived; when Reynolds succeeded as taoiseach in early 1992, Davern returned to the backbenches. In 1995, he became Opposition Spokesman on European Affairs when Bertie Ahern named his new front bench. Fianna Fáil were returned to government and Davern was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food. He served in that position until 2002.

Davern was one of only three members of the 29th Dáil who had first been elected in the 1960s, the others being Séamus Pattison, elected at the 1961 general election and Michael Smith, also elected at the 1969 general election.

He died on 27 October 2013.{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/former-fianna-fail-tds-noel-davern-and-denis-foley-have-died-29704115.html|title=Former Fianna Fáil TDs Noel Davern and Denis Foley have died|work=Irish Independent|date=27 October 2013|access-date=23 September 2021|archive-date=12 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712062050/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/former-fianna-fail-tds-noel-davern-and-denis-foley-have-died-29704115.html|url-status=live}}