PICTURES: Trailblazing Limerick politician remembered with new portrait

A NEW portrait of the Limerick man who brought free secondary education into the State was unveiled.

As Education Minister, former Limerick East TD Donogh O’Malley is best known for the 1966 reform which meant hundreds of thousands of families could educate their children up to the age of 17 or 18 years.

2026 marks the 60th anniversary of this announcement, and to kick off a year of events to mark the reform, renowned local portrait artist Declan Chambers unveiled a new, unseen portrait of the Fianna Fail man, who sadly passed away just two years after introducing the educational change.

The People’s Museum at Pery Square played host to the launch of the exhibition, which was opened by sitting TD Conor Sheehan.

Mr Chambers also has 27 other portraits in the exhibition, and prints of the new painting of Mr O’Malley are available to purchase.