{{Short description|Irish politician (1934–2023)}} {{For|the American professional boxer|Bennie Briscoe}} {{Use Hiberno-English|date=June 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = | office = Teachta Dála | term_start = June 1981 | term_end = May 2002 | constituency = Dublin South-Central | term_start1 = June 1977 | term_end1 = June 1981 | constituency1 = Dublin Rathmines West | term_start2 = June 1969 | term_end2 = June 1977 | constituency2 = Dublin South-Central | term_start3 = April 1965 | term_end3 = June 1969 | constituency3 = Dublin South-West | office4 = Lord Mayor of Dublin | term_start4 = 5 June 1988 | term_end4 = 6 June 1989 | predecessor4 = Carmencita Hederman | successor4 = Seán Haughey | birth_date = {{birth date|1934|3|11|df=y}} | birth_place = Dublin, Ireland | death_date = {{death date and age|2023|7|10|1934|3|11|df=y}} | death_place = Blanchardstown, Dublin, Ireland | party = Fianna Fáil | spouse = {{marriage|Carol Briscoe|1965}} | children = 4 | father = Robert Briscoe | alma_mater = |}} '''Ben Briscoe''' (11 March 1934 – 10 July 2023) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1965 to 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Ben-Briscoe.D.1965-04-21/|title=Ben Briscoe|work=Oireachtas Members Database|access-date=9 March 2008|archive-date=7 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107225038/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Ben-Briscoe.D.1965-04-21|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Political career== ===Dáil Éireann=== Briscoe was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD for the Dublin South-West constituency at the 1965 general election, succeeding his father Robert Briscoe who had been a TD for 38 years. He was elected at the 1969 general election for Dublin South-Central, where he was reelected in 1973 and after major boundary changes for the 1977 general election he was elected for the Dublin Rathmines West constituency. A subsequent boundary revision in advance of the 1981 general election abolished Dublin Rathmines West and divided the area between the neighbouring constituencies. Briscoe was reelected for the reestablished Dublin South-Central constituency which he held until he retired at the 2002 general election.<ref name=elecs_irl>{{cite web|url=http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=2770|title=Ben Briscoe|work=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=9 March 2008|archive-date=24 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924224835/https://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=2770|url-status=live}}</ref>
Briscoe was very critical of the cult of personality surrounding Fianna Fáil leader Charles Haughey during the 1980s, which Briscoe once compared to a "Fascist Dictatorship". Briscoe accordingly helped lead the discontented anti-Haughey faction within Fianna Fáil, which included Charlie McCreevy, during Haughey's time as Taoiseach.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.ie/irish-politics/7106-how-charlie-won-the-war-the-battle-for-the-leadership-of-fianna-fail.html?start=1|title=From the archives: How Charlie Won the War (1983)|publisher=Politico.ie|access-date=9 October 2012|archive-date=15 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115035444/http://politico.ie/irish-politics/7106-how-charlie-won-the-war-the-battle-for-the-leadership-of-fianna-fail.html?start=1|url-status=live}}</ref>
At the 1992 general election, Briscoe was involved in a marathon recount battle with Democratic Left's Eric Byrne to decide the fate of the final seat in Dublin South-Central. Briscoe was declared the victor after ten days of recounting and rechecking ballot papers, leading to Briscoe describing the long count as being like "the agony and the ex-TD."<ref>Corry, Eoghan: I'm Glad You Asked Me That, Irish Political Quotations (Hodder 2007). Original reference can be found in The Irish Times, 7 December 1992</ref>
===Lord Mayor of Dublin=== From 1988 to 1989, he served as Lord Mayor of Dublin,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dublincity.ie/sites/default/files/2020-09/lord-mayors-of-dublin-1665-2021.pdf|title=Lord Mayors of Dublin 1665–2020 |work=Dublin City Council|date=June 2020|access-date=18 November 2023}}</ref> a post previously held by his father, Robert. His term covered the second half of Dublin's Millennium Year 1988. After the city council had made him Lord Mayor, Briscoe described his selection for the honour as "one of the proudest moments of my life".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/f8628cd5a99251a6eed44d7d963006a5|work=apnewsarchive.com|title=Ben Briscoe Follows Father to Become Dublin's 2nd Jewish Mayor|date=July 1988|access-date=9 May 2013|archive-date=5 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305135915/https://www.apnewsarchive.com/1988/Ben-Briscoe-Follows-Father-to-Become-Dublin-s-2nd-Jewish-Mayor/id-f8628cd5a99251a6eed44d7d963006a5|url-status=live}}</ref>
In 1989 he was involved in a public spat with senator and gay rights campaigner, David Norris, after publicly voicing his dislike of homosexuals following the appearance of Gay Sweatshop theatre company at the publicly-funded Project Arts Centre.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Joe |title=My battle with Ben Briscoe |url=https://www.hotpress.com/culture/my-battle-with-ben-briscoe-2930700 |access-date=2026-05-28 |website=Hotpress |language=en}}</ref>
The Molly Malone statue previously at the bottom end of Grafton Street and now outside the Dublin Tourist around the corner was unveiled by Briscoe during the Dublin Millennium celebrations in 1988 and he declared 13 June as Molly Malone Day in Dublin.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}
==Personal life== Briscoe was one of Ireland's most famous Jewish politicians.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://shamrockclubwis.com/Reflections/2009February.pdf|work=Shamrock Club of Wisconsin|title=The Briscoes and service to Ireland|date=February 2009|access-date=12 July 2009|archive-date=29 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129124123/http://shamrockclubwis.com/Reflections/2009February.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> His father was one of several Jews involved in the War of Independence and Sinn Féin movements. In Briscoe's time each of the three main political parties had a Jewish member in Ireland's 166-member Dáil.
==Death== Briscoe died on 10 July 2023, at the age of 89.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Moloney |first1=Eoghan |title=Former Dublin Lord Mayor Ben Briscoe remembered as 'hard working, committed public representative' |url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/dublin/dublin-news/former-dublin-lord-mayor-ben-briscoe-remembered-as-hard-working-committed-public-representative/a13651987.html |access-date=11 July 2023 |date=10 July 2023 |newspaper=Irish Independent |location=Dublin |issn=0021-1222 |language=en-ie |archive-date=11 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230711025754/https://www.independent.ie/regionals/dublin/dublin-news/former-dublin-lord-mayor-ben-briscoe-remembered-as-hard-working-committed-public-representative/a13651987.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-civ}} {{s-bef|before = Carmencita Hederman}} {{s-ttl|title = Lord Mayor of Dublin |years = 1988–1989}} {{s-aft|after = Seán Haughey}} {{s-end}} {{Dublin South-West (Dáil constituency)/TDs}} {{Dublin South-Central (Dáil constituency)/TDs}} {{Dublin Rathmines West (Dáil constituency)/TDs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Briscoe, Ben}} Category:1934 births Category:2023 deaths Category:Fianna Fáil TDs Category:Lord mayors of Dublin Category:Members of the 18th Dáil Category:Members of the 19th Dáil Category:Members of the 20th Dáil Category:Members of the 21st Dáil Category:Members of the 22nd Dáil Category:Members of the 23rd Dáil Category:Members of the 24th Dáil Category:Members of the 25th Dáil Category:Members of the 26th Dáil Category:Members of the 27th Dáil Category:Members of the 28th Dáil Category:Irish people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent Category:Jewish Irish politicians Category:Fianna Fáil local councillors