Jim Kemmy (1936-1997) was a socialist politician born in Limerick, Ireland. In 1963, he joined the Labour Party but resigned in 1972 because of conflict with local TD Stephen Coughlan. He was elected to Limerick City Council in 1974 and in 1975 founded the Limerick Family Planning Clinic . At the time, it was illegal to sell condoms in Ireland and the clinic was condemned by the Catholic Church. In 1981, he was elected to the Dáil and was returned to his seat in the general election of February 1982. However, his oppositon to an anti-abortion amendment to the Constitution meant he was again attacked by the Church and by the Labour Party and, in the November general election of the same year, he lost his seat. In 1987 and 1989, he was returned to the Dáil and in 1990, his Democratic Socialist Party merged with Labour. Kemmy was elected as vice-chairman of the party in 1991 and as chairman in 1993. Kemmy died on 25th September 1997, following a short illness.

The new College of Business in the University of Limerick has been named the Jim Kemmy Business School.

External link

RTE: Ireland's Millenia: People - a short biography of Jim Kemmy