Donogh O’Malley’s reforms made him one of the most popular members of the government; he was affectionately known as ‘theSchool Man’ for his work in education. His sudden death in Limerick on 10 March 1968, before his vision for the education system was completed, came as a shock to the public. It is accepted in Ireland that O’Malley’s extension of education, changing Ireland from a land where the majority were schooled only to the age of 14 to a country with universal secondary school education.Seán Lemass, who became Taoiseach in 1959, liked O’Malley and promoted him. Donogh took over the Ministry of Health from the older Seán MacEntee in a Cabinet reshuffle in 1965. O’Malley, an immaculate dresser, was a vibrant Health Minister and a ‘showdown’ with the medical profession was averted when he was switched from Health to Education later that year in an inspired and astute move.
O’Malley had a long-time interest in education, though education was not high on the political agenda of the time and the role of the Education Minister was largely that of a figurehead.