Michael Noonan was elected to the Dail for the Limerick East constituency on his first attempt in 1981. He was previously a secondary school teacher and remains a member of the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland.
He was minister for justice from 1982 to 1986. He has also served as minister for industry and commerce (February 1986 to March 1987), minister for energy (January to March 1987) and minister for health (1994 to 1997).
He has served on the Fine Gael front bench as spokesman on transport, energy, communications and education. He has been Fine Gael spokesman on finance since 1997.
Michael Noonan's name has figured in the Fine Gael leadership stakes since the late 1980s. However, in 1993 his outspoken remarks on the possibility of devaluing the pound led to accusations he was using the currency crisis to enhance his leadership prospects. Writing in The Irish Times the same year Mr Noonan said Fine Gael needed to revive its original objectives.
Quoting from Michael Collins and Declan Costello, he said: "Our purpose must be, by providing effective leadership and a proved capacity to govern, to enter government as the largest single party with a mandate to create a spirit of initiative and enterprise, to eliminate poverty, achieve equality of opportunity and access to health, education and justice, so as to ensure that each citizen . . . is a participant in government and that our government reflect national and not sectoral interests."
Noted for his distinctive Limerick accent he was frequently lampooned by the late Dermot Morgan on the Scrap Saturday radio show, a lampoon which Mr Noonan himself reportedly enjoyed hugely.
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