I am asking TDs and Senators for their #1 vote in the upcoming Seanad Cultural and Educational Panel Bye-Election

Note: Only TDs and Senators can vote in this bye-election. If you wish to support my campaign, please contact TDs and Senators to ask them to lend me their vote!

Having been nominated by the Law Society of Ireland, the Irish Dental Association and Comhlámh-the Irish Association of Development Workers and Volunteers, I am seeking to contest the election so that as an independent Senator I can work to bring people together, focusing on the perspectives of those who are often sidelined.

I am a human rights lawyer and university lecturer and have worked for nearly two decades with people affected by institutional and family separation abuses on behalf of the Justice for Magdalenes and Clann Project campaigns. I have also written and advocated on the many human rights issues faced by older people in Ireland, and my teaching encourages young people’s civic engagement.

I believe it is really important to be creative about how the law can work, and, striving to do that, I have been privileged to work with politicians in all parties, in government and opposition, and with Independents, to change laws and policies and the ways our institutions function. There is still so much work to do.

Members of the Oireachtas play a crucial role in upholding human rights and creating opportunities for everyone in society to thrive. Economic and global challenges are putting new pressures on democracies around the world, and I want to contribute my expertise to support discussion and legislation that will preserve and protect our Constitutional values.