Carol Nolan (born 23 May 1978) is an Irish
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
politician who has been 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
Laois–Offaly constituency since the
2020 general election, and previously from 2016 to 2020 for the
Offaly
County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in h ...
constituency.
Early and personal life
Nolan was born in
Tullamore
Tullamore (; ) is the county town of County Offaly in Ireland. It is on the Grand Canal, in the middle of the county, and is the fourth most populous town in the midlands region with 14,607 inhabitants at the 2016 census.
The town retained ...
in 1978, but she is a native of
,
County Offaly. Nolan was educated at
Mary Immaculate College
Mary Immaculate College (Coláiste Mhuire gan Smál), also known as MIC and Mary I, is a College of Education and Liberal Arts. Founded in 1898, the university level College of Education and the Liberal Arts is academically linked with the Univ ...
and
NUI Galway
The University of Galway ( ga, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university was awarded the full five QS stars for excellence in 201 ...
. She was a primary school teacher for 12 years. Nolan was also principal of Gaelscoil Thromaire in
County Laois for three years.
Political career
Before becoming a TD, she was a Sinn Féin member of
Offaly County Council
Offaly County Council ( ga, Comhairle Chontae Uíbh Fhailí) is the authority responsible for local government in County Offaly, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housi ...
from 2014 to 2016, for the
Birr local electoral ward.
In March 2018, she was suspended from Sinn Féin for three months for voting against legislation to allow for a referendum on the repeal of the
Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, support for which had been adopted at the party's Ard Fheis.
She endorsed the Cherish all the Children Equally campaign which advocated for a No vote in the
2018 abortion referendum. She campaigned for the Love Both campaign which also advocated for a No vote in the referendum.
She resigned from Sinn Féin on 19 June 2018, over the party's stance on abortion, saying "“I won’t be supporting the legislation as my position remains the same, as a
pro-life
Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respon ...
TD who is strongly opposed to abortion".
She was re-elected as an Independent TD for the
Laois–Offaly constituency following the
2020 general election.
Nolan is a member of the
Rural Group of Independent TDs in the
33rd Dail.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nolan, Carol
1978 births
Living people
Alumni of Mary Immaculate College, Limerick
Alumni of the University of Galway
Independent TDs
Irish anti-abortion activists
Irish schoolteachers
Local councillors in County Offaly
Members of the 32nd Dáil
Members of the 33rd Dáil
People from Birr, County Offaly
Sinn Féin TDs (post-1923)
21st-century women Teachtaí Dála
Women heads of schools in Ireland