Cloch Le Carn

Brian Lenihan was destined to be a politician. His father Brian Snr, grandfather Paddy and aunt Mary O'Rourke all represented Fianna Fáil with distinction in Dáil Éireann before him, and although initially it seemed that Brian was destined for a distinguished career in law, his career path changed in 1996 when he won the Dublin West by-election, a seat vacated after his father's death.

His initial years in Fianna Fáil were spent representing Dublin West and as chairman of the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution. He was passed over for promotion to Cabinet on a number of occasions by Bertie Ahern and it was only in the dying days of Ahern's leadership that he became Minister for Justice in 2007. Within a year Ahern was gone and Fianna Fáil had a new leader - Brian Cowen. Cowen decided that Lenihan should replace himself as Minister for Finance.

What followed can only be describe as an economic meltdown in the country. The government guaranteed the banks and Brian Lenihan presented a series of harsh budgets and also announced the setting up of NAMA. In his budget speech of December 2009 he predicted that the worst was over, but for him personally there was soon to be the shock that he was suffering from pancreatic cancer. The news of his cancer was broadcast on TV3 on St Stephen's Day 2009 and was a shock to friends and colleagues. Lenihan decided the country came first and vowed to continue as Minister for Finance even though he would have to undergo Chemotherapy and Radiation treatments. Unfortunately on the economic front the worst was far from over and in November 2010 Lenihan was forced to seek an IMF bail-out. It was the end of Fianna Fáil in government.

Brian Lenihan was respected on all sides of the house and he was the only Fianna Fáil politiciian elected in Dublin in the 2011 General Election. He also became the first man from his party to deliver the oration at the annual Michael Collins commemoration at Béal na Bláth in 2010.

Sadly Brian was taken before his time at the age of 52, his death last June brought down the curtain on exactly 50 years of Lenihan family involvement in the Houses of the Oireachtas.

This episode of Cloch le Carn looks back on the political life of Brian Lenihan through the eyes of some of those who were closet to him. Contributors include his aunt Mary O'Rourke, political commentator and close friend Noel Whelan, former party colleague Mary Hanafin, ex- government press secretary Eoghan Ó Neachtain and political correspondent Rónán Ó Domhnaill.

Presenter/Reporter Garry Mac Donncha
Executive Producer Kevin Cummins