Senator Paul Coghlan obituary: Conviviality masked a keen business sense

Born: June 1st, 1944.

Died: June 8th, 2003.

Former Fine Gael senator Paul Coghlan was one of the most popular figures to grace the corridors of Leinster House in recent decades. A convivial Kerryman who always had a twinkle in his eye, he was a fund of stories, news and gossip about the political world and had great rapport with colleagues across the political spectrum.

Coghlan had a big heart and an ebullient personality. He developed a wide network of friends throughout his long career, forging strong connections at all levels in politics, business and the judiciary not just in Ireland but in the UK.

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Delivering the eulogy at his recent funeral Mass in Killarney Cathedral, his son Michael summed up this aspect of his personality. “He was a social animal who loved nothing better than to meet up with friends and colleagues for a drink and some food, whether it was in St. Stephen’s Green Club or at home in Ballydowney or the Friday Club in Killarney Park Hotel or the Holy Grail of all, the members’ bar in Leinster House.”

While he was always a proud Kerryman, he loved his weekly trips to Dublin for Seanad business, where he enjoyed the company of politicians from all parties, journalists, judges and diplomats among others. He had a welcoming style all of his own greeting male friends as “brother” and women as “sister”.

His great talent was to bring together people from a variety of backgrounds who might never otherwise have met. He once remarked that the secret of his success in business and politics was that he was regarded as “an innocent Kerryman”, adding quickly, “of course there’s no such thing”.

However, he was more than just a social animal. He was a highly successful businessman who made serious contributions to Seanad debates and Fine Gael parliamentary party meetings about a range of topics, but particularly those relating to economic development and Irish-British relations. He was deeply honoured to be elected Leas Cathaoirleach of the Seanad in 2016 with the support of Fianna Fáil as well as his own party. He kept firm control of proceedings while he was in the chair.

A committed Catholic, he opposed the repeal of the eight amendment on abortion and was uncomfortable with aspects of Fine Gael’s liberal agenda. But he maintained good friendship with people with different views. One of his best friends in Fine Gael was the current Seanad Cathaoirleach, Jerry Buttimer, who came out as a gay man in 2012. Coghlan was delighted at being invited to Buttimer’s wedding in 2017.

The son of a bank official, Paul Coghlan was born on June 1st, 1944. He was educated at De La Salle College, Waterford and St Brendan’s College, Killarney. He followed his father’s footsteps into the bank but started to dabble in business during the six month bank strike of 1970, and later left the security of a safe and pensionable job bank to set up an auctioneering and property business.

He got involved in politics as a young man and was one of a generation attracted into Fine Gael by the Just Society philosophy of Declan Costello. A strong supporter of Garret FitzGerald he got involved in local politics in the 1980s, and was elected to Killarney Town Council and Kerry County Council. He was twice mayor of Killarney.

He failed in a bid to get elected to the Dáil in 1992 but was elected to the Seanad in 1997 and retained his seat in four subsequent elections. Some of them were nail biting affairs and he survived one count by a quarter of a vote, managing to hold on with transfers from councillors outside his own party.

During his time as a senator he became a long-serving member of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly and was involved in key committees that worked on improving the Anglo-Irish Agreement, co-operation between policing services and the freedom of movement between Britain and Ireland.

Back home he developed his property business in Killarney and was also a founding director of Radio Kerry. He served as president of Killarney Chamber of Commerce and was a driving force behind the society that commemorated Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, the Kerry priest who used the Vatican to help Jews and Allied soldiers escape from the Nazis.

He was involved in a number of other community developments. He was particularly proud of helping to develop Muckross House and Killarney House and Gardens and throughout his career he did all that he could to promote the town. He was also a captain, president and board member of Killarney Golf and Fishing Club. It was this club that provided the final guard of honour for the late senator as his remains were taken to Aghadoe Cemetery for burial. The guard of honour as his coffin entered the cathedral was composed of his Fine Gael colleagues, including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

While Coghlan led a hectic social life he was also a proud family man. He was devoted to his wife Peggy, also a native of Killarney, whom he met at a party thrown by the Provincial Bank when he was a junior official and was immensely proud of his five children and ten grandchildren. He is survived by Peggy and their adult children Michael, Mairead, Áine, John Paul and Aoife.