Áine Collins (born 9 September 1969) is a former Irish

Fine Gael Fine Gael (, ; English: "Family (or Tribe) of the Irish") is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil � ...

politician who served as a

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( , ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament). It is the equivalent of terms such as ''Member of Parli ...

(TD) for the Cork North-West constituency from 2011 to 2016.

Early life & business ventures

Collins was raised on a farm in north

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

. She credits this as her inspiration, saying: "I grew up on a small farm where my father used to grow cabbage and sell it. I think from an early age I was part of that practice where you were involved in producing something." She bought a small-town pub and became involved in the restaurant trade. Collins is a certified accountant. In 2019, EFM Ireland appointed Collins as Business Development Director. Collins gave birth to her first child when she was 20 years old. Her daughter, Ciara, was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to her and her father Dermot, Collins' then boyfriend. Collins worked in finance and studied at night and then became unexpectedly pregnant. Ciara was seven when her dad Dermot died aged 31. Collins credits her father for her interest in politics, who was chairperson of the local branch of Fine Gael. Her intention when she left school was to get into car sales, so she embarked on a year-long course in automobile engineering at CIT.

Political career

One of three

candidates including Michael Creed and Derry Canty, she received 17.2% of

first preference In certain ranked-voting systems, a first-preference vote (or first preference, 1st preference, or primary vote) is the individual voter's first choice amongst (possibly) many. In certain ranked systems such as Instant-Runoff Voting or Single T ...

votes and was elected on the sixth count without reaching the quota at the 2011 general election. She was a member of the Public Accounts Committee. Born in

Banteer Banteer () is a village in north County Cork, Ireland located in the Civic Parish of Clonmeen in the Barony of Duhallow. It is near the town of Mallow. Banteer is within the Cork North-West Dáil constituency. History In 1651, the Battle of Kn ...

, she now lives in the

Millstreet Millstreet () is a town in north County Cork, Ireland, with a population of 1,555 (as of 2016). Millstreet is within the civil parish of Drishane, and within a Poor Law Union also called Millstreet. The Millstreet Union encompasses the civil ...

area. In July 2013, Collins was involved in the "Lapgate" controversy, which gained worldwide notoriety. Collins became noted as the centre of the incident, after her party colleague Tom Barry hauled her onto his lap during a late night debate on the abortion legislation. She lost her seat at the 2016 general election. In 2018, she ruled out contesting the then next general election. In 2019, she failed in a bid to be elected as a

Cork County Council Cork County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Chorcaí) is the authority responsible for local government in County Cork, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and co ...

lor for the

Macroom Macroom (; ga, Maigh Chromtha) is a market town in County Cork, Ireland, located in the valley of the River Sullane, halfway between Cork city and Killarney. Its population has grown and receded over the centuries as it went through periods of ...

local electoral area. She was an unsuccessful candidate at the 2020 Seanad election.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Aine 1969 births Living people Fine Gael TDs Members of the 31st Dáil Politicians from County Cork 21st-century women Teachtaí Dála