Former taoiseach remembers his upbringing as he turns 75 today
Henry Kenny. Photo: Getty
Former taoiseach Enda Kenny turns 75 today. From Islandeady, outside Castlebar, he is a former primary school teacher. When he was 24 he was first elected to the Dáil in a by-election in the Mayo constituency in 1975 following the death of his father, Henry.
He became Fine Gael leader in 2002, when the party was in the doldrums. The same stamina which he showed when he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of three Mayo charities in 2003, and in his frequent charity cycles, enabled him to lead Fine Gael to power in 2011.
