Maureen Haughey

Who is Maureen Haughey?

Maureen Haughey is the widow of Charles Haughey, who served as Taoiseach of Ireland for three terms.

Maureen Lemass was born in Dublin in 1925. The eldest daughter of Seán Lemass and his wife Kathleen, she received her primary and secondary education in Dublin. She was struck down with tuberculosis in 1943, recovering after a year in hospital, and later studied at University College Dublin where she received a degree in commerce. During her time at UCD she met Charles Haughey whom she married in 1951. Charles Haughey later served as a government minister throughout the 1960s and 1970s, before rising to the position of Fianna Fáil leader and Taoiseach in 1979. Maureen Haughey's brother Noel Lemass, Jnr also served as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála, while her sister-in-law, Eileen Lemass, also served as a member of Dáil Éireann. One of her sons, Seán Haughey, has served as Lord Mayor of Dublin and is a former TD and Minister of State.