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Ben O'Quigley
Ben O'Quigley
Senator
	In office; 23 June 1965 – 29 May 1969
Constituency	Cultural and Educational Panel
	In office; 22 May 1957 – 14 December 1961
Constituency	Labour Panel
Personal details
Born	John Benignus O'Quigley; County Mayo, Ireland
Died	29 May 1969; Lourdes, France
Political party	Fine Gael
Spouse	Margaret Kennedy (m. 1965)

John Benignus O'Quigley (died 29 May 1969)^[1]^[2] was an Irish barrister and Fine Gael politician from Castlebar, County Mayo.^[3] He was twice a member of Seanad Éireann.^[2]

O'Quigley entered the Civil Service in 1945.^[4] In 1950 he was called to the bar and resigned from the Civil Service.^[4] He practised law in Dublin and on the Western Circuit.^[4] In September 1955 he married Margaret Kennedy from Straffan.^[5] After the 1957 general election, O'Quigley was elected to the 9th Seanad on the Labour Panel.^[4] After the 1961 general election, he failed to be re-elected.^[2]

From 1962 to 1965, O'Quigley was junior counsel, initially instructed by Richie Ryan,^[6] and later under Seán MacBride, on the legal team of plaintiff Gladys Ryan in Ryan v Attorney General, a water fluoridation controversy case wherein the Supreme Court found the Constitution of Ireland safeguarded the unenumerated right to bodily integrity.^[7] After the 1965 general election O'Quigley was elected to the 11th Seanad, this time from the Cultural and Educational Panel.^[4] He became leader of the Fine Gael group in the Seanad.^[4] He was ill for some time before his death,^[4] and died in Lourdes.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b "Senator Ben O'Quigley dies in Lourdes". The Irish Times. 30 May 1969. p. 10. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c "John Benignus O'Quigley". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
^ Derelict Sites Bill, 1960—Committee Stage. Seanad Éireann debates. Vol. 53. 4 January 1961. p. c677. Retrieved 17 September 2010. my home town of Castlebar
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Death of Senator: Expression of Sympathy. Seanad Éireann debates. Vol. 66. 9 July 1969. p. c1193. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
^ "Weddings". The Irish Times. 23 September 1955. pp. 7, 10. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
^ The Irish Times, 25 May 1963, p.10
^ "Ryan -v- Attorney General". 1 IR. Supreme Court of Ireland. 1965. p. 296. Retrieved 17 September 2010.