Joe Sheridan, who died on September 30th aged 85, helped, as an Independent TD for the Longford-Westmeath constituency, to keep two dynamic Sean Lemass-led governments in power in the 1960s. However, he was always his own man - low-key in the Dail, but effective in his constituency, retaining his seat for 20 years while remaining invulnerable to the local party machines.
Joe Sheridan was one of a number of Independent deputies who offered conditional support to the Fianna Fail Taoiseach, Sean Lemass, after he failed to win an overall majority in the 1961 and 1965 general elections. Unlike the current Government's arrangements with the four Independents keeping it in power, there were no formal deals.
A native of Corrick, Moyne, Co Longford, Joe Sheridan was a farmer and auctioneer, who later lived at Calverstown House, Tyrrellspass, Co Westmeath. His involvement with the farming and business community provided a base on which to build a political career, but it took him some time to secure a Dail seat. He was an unsuccessful Fine Gael candidate in the 1951, 1954 and 1957 elections, and served as a member of the Seanad before breaking with the party and his election to the Dail as an Independent in 1961. He was reelected at every subsequent general election until his retirement from politics in 1981. He was also active in local politics, securing seats on Westmeath County Council and the county's committee of agriculture in 1955.
He faced formidable odds in the 1961 election, given that Longford-Westmeath had been reduced from a five-seater to a four-seater, but Joe Sheridan took a seat at the expense of his old party, Fine Gael. Nationally, it was a lacklustre campaign, with Fine Gael's main proposal being the abolition of compulsory Irish. Fianna Fail won 70 seats, three short of an overall majority, and an Lemass formed a government dependent on the support of Independents, including Joe Sheridan.
Lemass made it clear from the outset, that he intended ruling as if he had an overall majority. It was speculated at the time that his only concession to Joe Sheridan was that he would tell him, in advance, of the timing of the next general election.
Nevertheless, in Longford-Westmeath, Joe Sheridan soon became known as a man with influence in Dublin, capable of delivering to his constituents. He was known to be friendly with Paddy Smith, the Fianna Fail minister for agriculture in the early 1960s. Other ministers were bound to look benevolently on constituency queries submitted by the Independent TD helping to keep them in office.
Despite its Dail fragility, the government Joe Sheridan helped to keep in power was very successful, as an Lemass plotted the economic development of the State, with his philosophy that "a rising tide would lift all boats". A political commentator at the time coined the phrase "Lemass's overall minority".
Lemass held on to power for 3 1/2 years, despite losing some Dail votes, when Joe Sheridan and others found themselves unhappy with government policy. At a meeting with his supporters in Longford in the early 1960s, Joe Sheridan outlined his approach to national politics, when he made it clear that, despite speculation, he was not rejoining Fine Gael.
It was being said that he had visited the Taoiseach's Leinster House office six times before a crucial vote the previous week. "I was never in the Taoiseach's room in my life," he added. "That is reserved for only choice people."
He said he had been elected as an Independent and he would only vote according to the wishes of the people who supported him. While he had not voted for a turnover tax, he had later voted with an Lemass's government to avoid the expense of a general election. He had received specific guarantees about a heifer scheme, which would benefit every farmer, and a scheme to provide more grants for housing.
Joe Sheridan emphasised that if the government "made one step in the wrong direction", he would vote against it: "I am an Independent, and I will remain an Independent." The 200 people present passed a unanimous vote of confidence in him. In the 1965 general election, Sean Lemass again failed to win an overall majority, but retained power with the help of Independents, including Joe Sheridan, who had increased his vote in Longford-Westmeath.
A rare contributor to Dail debates, Joe Sheridan continued to consolidate his constituency base, heading the poll there in the 1969 and 1977 general elections.
He continued his interest in farming, serving as chairman of the Leinster Cattle Traders' Union, the Snowcream Milk Producers' Association, and through his membership of the Irish Livestock Association. On his retirement, he said he was standing down from the Dail with "great pain," but he had too many commitments as a farmer and auctioneer.
Throughout his political career, he had many cross-party friendships, not least with some of his old Fine Gael colleagues, including Liam Cosgrave. Joe Sheridan was predeceased by his wife, Sarah (nee Bolger). He is survived by his sons, Farrell, Pat, Joseph, John V. and Mel, daughters, Bridget, Mary T., Kathy and Anne, brothers, Monsignor John V. and Tom, and his sisters, Sr Aquinas and Kathleen (Galligan).
Joe Sheridan: born 1914; died, September 2000