Constituency Galway South Resigned 2005 | Role Politician Name Catherine Connolly | |
 | ||
Other political
affiliations Labour Party (1995 - 2006) | ||
Political party Independent politician | ||
Catherine connolly questions the garda commissioner in the pac 04 05 17 1
Catherine Mary Connolly (born 12 July 1957) is an Irish Independent politician and a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway West constituency, upon being elected at the 2016 general election. She served as Mayor of Galway from 2004 to 2005.
Contents
- Catherine connolly questions the garda commissioner in the pac 04 05 17 1
- Catherine connolly question to the minister for defence jadotville 15 02 17
- Political career
- Personal life
- References
Catherine connolly question to the minister for defence jadotville 15 02 17
Political career
Connolly was first elected to Galway City Council in the West local electoral area in June 1999 and then re-elected in the South local electoral area in 2004. In the same year she was elected Mayor of the City. She speaks Irish and English. Her sister, Collette, is a city councillor co-opted to replace her when she was elected a TD.
She resigned from the Labour Party in 2006 when she was denied her wish to run alongside now-President Michael D. Higgins. She contested the 2007 general election, polling just over 2,000 votes.
She contested the 2011 general election in Galway West, where she lost out on the last seat to Fine Gael's Seán Kyne by only 17 votes. She sought a full recount, which concluded after a total of 4 days of counting but did not change the outcome.
She was elected to the Dáil for the Galway West constituency at the Irish general election, 2016. She voted for Richard Boyd Barrett for Taoiseach when the 32nd Dáil first met. At the 32nd Dáil's second meeting on 5 April 2016, she made her maiden speech in which she criticised Labour environment minister Alan Kelly's handling of Ireland's homelessness crisis.
Connolly sits on the Public Accounts Committee and is Chair of the Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands.
Deputy Connolly is a patron of the People's Movement.
Personal life
Originally from Shantalla, Connolly has lived in the Claddagh since 1988, and is married with two children. A former barrister, she also previously worked as a Clinical Psychologist with the Western Health Board in Ballinasloe, Galway City and Connemara.