Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (born 24 May 1966) is an Irish

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian- ...

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 Carlow–Kilkenny constituency since the

2020 general election The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2020. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems maintains a comprehensive list of upcoming elections on its E-Guide Platform. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calend ...

. She previously served as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for the Labour Panel from 2016 from 2020.

Political career

Murnane O'Connor first ran for the Dáil in

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, when she polled 6% of the first preference vote in Carlow–Kilkenny for

. She did not run in the

2015 by-election Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album) ...

in the constituency, caused by the appointment of Phil Hogan to the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...

, but was chosen to contest the 2016 general election as the Carlow-based candidate on a Fianna Fáil ticket that also featured sitting TDs John McGuinness and

Bobby Aylward Robert Aylward (1 April 1955 – 14 July 2022) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency from 2007 to 2011 and 2015 to 2020. Politics He was a member of Kilkenny County Coun ...

(who won the 2015 by-election). Murnane O'Connor polled 12% of the first preference vote but was not elected. Murnane O'Connor received 8,373 votes, which was the highest number of votes for a non-elected candidate at that election. She was subsequently elected as a Senator for the Labour Panel in the

25th Seanad This is a list of the members of the 25th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. 49 Senators were elected in April 2016 when postal voting closed. The Taoiseach nominated an additional eleven members to the ...

in April 2016, having narrowly missed out on a Dáil seat in the 2016 general election. She was the Fianna Fáil Seanad Spokesperson on Housing, Planning and Local Government from 2016 to 2020. At the general election in February 2020, she was elected as a Fianna Fáil TD for the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency.

Personal life

Murnane O'Connor was born in

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

in 1966, but is a native of Graiguecullen,

County Carlow County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a county located in the South-East Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Carlow is the second smallest and the third least populous of Ireland's 32 traditional counties. Carlow Cou ...

. She is the daughter of former

Carlow County Council Carlow County Council ( ga, Comhairle Chontae Cheatharlach) is the authority responsible for local government in County Carlow, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housin ...

lor Jimmy Murnane, who served on the local council for several years. She was co-opted to Carlow Urban District Council in 1999, following her father's retirement. She topped the polls for both for the Urban and County Council at the following elections. Prior to her election as a TD, she worked in Graham's; a shoe shop in

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272. The River Barrow flows through the town and forms the historic bounda ...

. She married Pat O'Connor in 1985. They have two sons and two daughters.

References

External links

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor's page on the Fianna Fáil website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murnane OConnor, Jennifer 1966 births Living people Fianna Fáil senators Fianna Fáil TDs Members of the 25th Seanad 21st-century women members of Seanad Éireann Politicians from County Waterford Alumni of Cork Institute of Technology Members of Carlow County Council Members of the 33rd Dáil 21st-century women Teachtaí Dála Labour Panel senators