Patrick Joseph Lalor (21 July 1926 – 29 July 2016) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and former hurling player for Laois. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for Laois–Offaly between 1961 and 1981, and a government minister on two separate occasions during the 19th Dáil. He later represented Leinster in the European Parliament from 1979 to 1994.

Hurling career

Lalor was a member of the Laois team that won the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship in 1949. The team went on to compete in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final but lost to Tipperary.{{cite news|last1=MacConnell|first1=Eoghan|title=Death occurs of former Fianna Fáil minister Paddy Lalor|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/death-occurs-of-former-fianna-f%C3%A1il-minister-paddy-lalor-1.2740662|access-date=2 August 2016|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=30 July 2016|archive-date=1 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801065142/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/death-occurs-of-former-fianna-f%C3%A1il-minister-paddy-lalor-1.2740662|url-status=live}} Later that year he helped his club Abbeyleix to win the Laois Senior Hurling Championship. Between 1953 and 1956, Lalor was county secretary of Laois GAA.{{cite web|title=Laois G.A.A. History 1947 - 1999|url=http://www.laoisgaa.ie/contentPage/43277/a_minor_rising1947-1999|publisher=Laois GAA|access-date=2 August 2016|archive-date=14 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414135731/http://www.laoisgaa.ie/contentPage/43277/a_minor_rising1947-1999|url-status=live}}

He played football and hurling for his club and county for many years and is generally regarded as one of the most skillful hurlers to have pulled Laois jersey. This was evidenced by his selection in 1999 on the Laois Hurling Team of the Millennium.{{cite web|title=Laois mourn Leinster winning hurler Paddy Lalor|url=http://hoganstand.com/Laois/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=258849|publisher=Hogan Stand|access-date=2 August 2016|archive-date=17 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817091015/http://hoganstand.com/Laois/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=258849|url-status=live}}

Lalor played 70 times for Laois senior hurlers, scoring 199 points in his time with the senior team. At the time of his retirement, he was the all-time top scorer for the county and was top of the scoring charts for over 20 years.{{Cite web|url=https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/1602020/|title=Untitled Visualisation|website=Flourish|access-date=7 May 2021|archive-date=7 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507232419/https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/1602020/|url-status=live}} He also played five times for the senior footballers, scoring 13 points.

Political career

Lalor was elected to Dáil Éireann on his first attempt at the 1961 general election as a Fianna Fáil TD for Laois–Offaly in the 17th Dáil.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Patrick-J-Lalor.D.1961-10-11/|title=Patrick J. Lalor|work=Oireachtas Members Database|access-date=30 September 2012|archive-date=6 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106210731/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Patrick-J-Lalor.D.1961-10-11|url-status=live}} In 1965, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture. The following year, Lalor became Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Power and Posts and Telegraphs.{{cite web|title=History of Government: Eighteenth Dáil|url=http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/History_of_Government/Eighteenth_D%C3%A1il.html|publisher=Government of Ireland|access-date=2 August 2016|archive-date=17 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817194707/http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/History_of_Government/Eighteenth_D%C3%A1il.html|url-status=live}} Following the 1969 election, Lalor joined the cabinet of Jack Lynch as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs. In the cabinet reshuffle that took place following the Arms Crisis in 1970, he took over the Industry and Commerce portfolio, serving in that position until the 1973 general election, when a Fine Gael–Labour Party coalition took power.{{cite web|title=History of Government: Nineteenth Dáil|url=http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/History_of_Government/Nineteenth_D%C3%A1il.html|publisher=Government of Ireland|access-date=2 August 2016|archive-date=17 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817205009/http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/History_of_Government/Nineteenth_D%C3%A1il.html|url-status=live}}

Fianna Fáil was re-elected in a landslide victory at the 1977 general election and Lalor became Government Chief Whip and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence.{{cite web|title=History of Government: Twenty-First Dáil|url=http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/History_of_Government/Twenty-First_D%C3%A1il.html|publisher=Government of Ireland|access-date=3 August 2016|archive-date=19 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819035351/http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/History_of_Government/Twenty-First_D%C3%A1il.html|url-status=live}} In 1979, he was elected to the European Parliament for the Leinster constituency and did not stand for a fifth re-election in the 1981 general election.{{cite web|url=http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=3243|title=Patrick Lalor|work=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=30 September 2012}} He was re-elected to the European Parliament in 1984 and 1989, before retiring from politics in 1994. During his time as a member of the European Parliament, he was vice-chair of the parliamentary grouping the European Progressive Democrats and its successor the European Democratic Alliance. He was also a Vice-President of the European Parliament from 1982 to 1987.{{cite web|title=(Paddy) Patrick Joseph LALOR|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/1435/(PADDY)+PATRICK+JOSEPH_LALOR_home.html|publisher=European Parliament|access-date=2 August 2016|archive-date=16 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816232916/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/1435/(PADDY)+PATRICK+JOSEPH_LALOR_home.html|url-status=live}}

Personal life

Lalor died on 29 July 2016 at the age of 90. He was survived by his four children. Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin paid tribute to Lalor saying he "had a very distinguished career and represented the people of Laois-Offaly with great pride."{{Cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2016/0730/805944-paddy-lalor/|title=Former minister Patrick Lalor dies aged 90|date=30 July 2016|publisher=RTE|access-date=2016-07-30|archive-date=31 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160731174041/http://www.rte.ie/news/2016/0730/805944-paddy-lalor/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Former Fianna Fail Minister laid to rest in Laois|url=http://www.leinsterexpress.ie/news/home/212392/former-fianna-fail-minister-laid-to-rest-in-laois.html|publisher=Leinster Express|access-date=2 August 2016|archive-date=2 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160802191950/http://www.leinsterexpress.ie/news/home/212392/former-fianna-fail-minister-laid-to-rest-in-laois.html|url-status=live}}