Sorca Clarke is an Irish

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gri ...

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 Longford–Westmeath constituency since the 2020 general election. She was elected on the first count and is the first Sinn Féin TD to serve the constituency since

Ruairí Ó Brádaigh Ruairí Ó Brádaigh (; born Peter Roger Casement Brady; 2 October 1932 – 5 June 2013) was an Irish republican political and military leader. He was Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) from 1958 to 1959 and again from 1960 to 19 ...

in 1957.

Political career

Clarke joined Sinn Féin in 2004 and first ran for office in 2009 when she unsuccessfully stood in the

2009 Irish local elections The 2009 Irish local elections were held in all the counties, cities and towns of the Republic of Ireland on Friday, 5 June 2009, on the same day as the European Parliament election and two by-elections ( Dublin South and Dublin Central). Ove ...

for Mullingar West in

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...

. She succeeded in her next attempt and became a member of

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

at the 2014 local elections. She lost her seat on the council in the 2019 elections, placing just 9th out of 14 candidates, but became a Teachta Dála in 2020 as part of Sinn Féin's surge that year, topping the poll in her constituency.

Early and personal life

Clarke is from

Artane, Dublin Artane, sometimes spelt Artaine (), historically TartaineDublin, 1862: Thom's ''Almanac and Official Directory'' is a northside suburb of Dublin city, Ireland. Artane is also a civil parish in the ancient barony of Coolock. Neighbouring dis ...

. She moved to

Mullingar Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 proclaimed Westmeat ...

with her husband, Darren Caulfield, in 2005 where they run a security business together They have four children, including one with autism. Clarke's grandfather was a member of the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief tha ...

and was interned in

the Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the f ...

for membership of a proscribed organisation. In his later years, he joined Official Sinn Féin - "the Worker's Party" following the 1969 split between them and "Provisional" Sinn Féin.

References

External links

Sorca Clarke's page on the Sinn Féin website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Sorca Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Local councillors in County Westmeath Members of the 33rd Dáil Politicians from County Dublin Sinn Féin TDs (post-1923) 21st-century women Teachtaí Dála