Michael D'Arcy

Michael D'Arcy (7 March 1934 – 1 May 2024) was an Irish Fine Gael politician, who served as a TD for the Wexford constituency.

D'Arcy's political career began in 1958, when his father Timothy died and Michael was co-opted into his county council seat, which he served in for fifteen years. He was elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1977 general election, and held his seat until the 1987 general election when he lost it to Brendan Howlin of the Labour Party. He was re-elected at the 1989 general election, at the expense of party colleague Avril Doyle, but she regained her seat at the 1992 general election. D'Arcy was then elected to the 20th Seanad on the Agricultural Panel.

At the 1997 general election he was returned to the 28th Dáil, again unseating Avril Doyle. He lost his seat again at the 2002 general election, this time to the independent candidate Liam Twomey, who later joined Fine Gael.

In 1981, in Garret FitzGerald's first government, D'Arcy was appointed a Minister of State for Agriculture. In FitzGerald's second government in 1982, he was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Fisheries and Forestry and at the Department of the Gaeltacht. He was dismissed in February 1986.

In 1999 D'Arcy was elected to Gorey Town Council; and was re-elected at the 2004 local elections, and retired in 2009.

D'Arcy was married to Marie, and they had four children. A son Michael W. D'Arcy is a former TD and senator.

D'Arcy died on 1 May 2024, at the age of 90.