[6] Moriarty was from a Gaeltacht area in Daingean Ui Chuis, County Kerry, and assisted him with the Irish language segments of his speeches.

Lemass introduced younger cabinet ministers, as the old guard who had served the party since its foundation in 1926 began to retire.

[6][15] Following Fianna Fáil's retention of power in the 1965 general election, O'Malley joined the cabinet as Minister for Health.

Having succeeded another dynamic young minister, Patrick Hillery (a political ally and friend who had attended medical school with O'Malley's wife, Hilda) he resolved to act swiftly to introduce the recommendations of an official report on education.

[16] Mid-twentieth century Ireland experienced significant emigration, especially to the neighbouring United Kingdom where, in addition to employment opportunities, there was a better state provision of education and healthcare.

Social change in Ireland and policies intending to correct this deficit were often met with strong resistance, such as Noël Browne's proposed Mother and Child Scheme.

Shortly after O'Malley was appointed, he announced that from 1969 all education up to Intermediate Certificate level would be without cost, and free buses would bring students in rural areas to their nearest school.

“Going on from there, I intend also to make provision whereby no pupil will, for lack of means, be prevented from continuing his or her education up to the end of the Leaving Certificate course.

[19]By announcing the decision first to journalists and on a Saturday (during a month when the Dáil was in recess), the positive public reaction would temper resistance to the idea before the next cabinet meeting.

[22] In 1967 O’Malley appointed Justice Eileen Kennedy to chair a committee to carry out a survey and report on the reformatory and industrial school systems.

[29] O'Malley's reforms made him one of the most popular members of the government; he was affectionately known as 'the School Man' for his work in education.

Hilda O'Malley ran as an Independent candidate in that election; after what proved a bitter campaign against her nephew, she failed to get the fourth seat in Limerick East by just 200 votes.