Oliver J. Flanagan was for many years a divisive, controversial and at times eccentric figure in Irish politics. He was amongst the longest-serving T.D.s in the history of the state serving continuously from 1943 until 1987 for the Laois-Offaly constituency and for most of this period he was a member of Fine Gael. During his tenure in Dáil Éireann, he was a champion of social conservatism and was well known for his disputable remarks. This was perhaps best reflected in his infamous assertion in 1967 that ‘there was no sex in Ireland before television’. But although comments such as this were the subject of ridicule, Flanagan’s comments in his maiden…