Máirín Lynch

Who was Máirín Lynch?

Máirín Lynch was the wife of the fourth Taoiseach of Ireland Jack Lynch.

Máirín O'Connor was born in Dublin in 1916. Her father was a naval doctor lost at sea during World War I; her mother worked for the Dublin Industrial Development Association. She met her future husband Jack Lynch, a player on both the Cork senior hurling and football teams, in the early 1940s. The couple married on 10 August 1946. Jack Lynch later served as a government minister throughout the 1950s, before rising to the position of Fianna Fáil leader and Taoiseach in 1966. It was only after consultation with his wife that Lynch allowed his name to go forward to succeed Seán Lemass. From that moment on, Máirín Lynch became a highly recognised and respected member in the public eye. She was ever-present at her husband's side and was a trusted confidante and steady influence on him, particularly during the Arms Crisis.

Máirín Lynch died in Dublin on 8 June 2004.