Barry Desmond

Barry Desmond was born in Cork in 1935. He was educated at the Presentation Brothers, the School of Commerce and University College Cork. He became a trade union official with the ITGWU and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. In 1969 he was elected Labour TD for Dun Laoighre. From 1981-1982 he served as Minister of State at the Department of Finance. Between 1982 and 1986 he was appointed Minister for Social Welfare. The Health brief was added to his portfolio. In 1982 he became deputy leader of the Labour Party. In 1989 he became a Labour MEP for Dublin. Since 1994 he has been a member of the European Court of Auditors.