He was first elected to the Dáil for the Cavan-Monaghan constituency in 1977.
A former GP, Rory O’Hanlon served as minister for health from 1987 to 1991, a period when the State’s spending on health was under severe strain.
He was re-elected eight more times as a TD.
He was elected ceann comhairle of the 29th Dáil in June 2002 and held that position until 2007.
Dr O’Hanlon retained his seat for a final term from 2007 to 2011, automatically returned as the outgoing ceann comhairle.
Before entering politics he qualified as a medical doctor at University College Dublin and worked as a GP in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan.
As minister for health from 1987 to 1991 he was forced to make cuts to the health service and reduce bed numbers due to a lack of exchequer funding, which earned him the nickname Dr Death from the opposition.
He was appointed minister for the environment in 1991 but lost his senior ministerial role when Albert Reynolds replaced Charles Haughey as Fianna Fáil leader the following year.
In 2011, when he retired from national politics, then-taoiseach Brian Cowen described him as a shining example of all that is good in politics and public service.
Rory O’Hanlon was the father of comedian and Father Ted star Ardal O’Hanlon.
Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said he was deeply saddened by Dr Rory O’Hanlon’s death. He said Dr O’Hanlon had left a significant footprint on Irish public life and on the Fianna Fáil party.
Rory was a very valued friend. I greatly valued his insights and advice since I was first elected to Dáil Éireann, he said.
He was a gifted doctor, a good listener, a keen observer of people, a caring and empathetic man who sought to improve the lives of his patients and community, and a natural problem-solver, Mr Martin added.
The Taoiseach said Dr O’Hanlon cared passionately for his community and constituents. He advocated for them and sought to improve their lives. Rory was a natural public representative who was in politics for all the right reasons: a real commitment to public service.
Mr Martin described him as a wonderful storyteller and a true republican who wore his many responsibilities lightly, always choosing to speak of those he served rather than himself.
He expressed sympathy to Dr O’Hanlon’s wife Teresa, their children Fiona, Rory, Ardal, Neale, Shane and Derbhla, his sister Sr Fionnuala, and the wider O’Hanlon family.
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