Marian Harkin

Early and family life

Harkin was born in Ballintogher, County Sligo in 1953. She is a graduate of University College, Dublin, with a Bachelor of Science degree in geology. She worked as a teacher of mathematics in a secondary school in Sligo town for 23 years. She lived in Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, with her husband, Seán Harkin, where he ran a grocery business until his death in 1996. After her husband's death, Harkin and her two sons moved to Sligo Town, where they now live.

Community activism

While living in Manorhamilton, Harkin became active in the voluntary and community sector and developed the view that people living in disadvantaged areas such as Connacht had to rely on their own initiative and energy to progress development of their region. Her work at local level led to her appointment to Developing the West Together, which evolved into the Council for the West, of which Harkin became chairperson.

Irish politics

She was elected to Dáil Éireann as an independent Teachta Dála (TD) for the Sligo–Leitrim constituency at the 2002 general election, receiving the highest number of first preference votes in the constituency.

Member of the European Parliament, 2004–present

At the 2004 European Parliament election, she was returned as a member of the European Parliament for the North-West constituency topping the poll and being elected on the fourth count. She had previously contested the 1999 European Parliament election in the same constituency (then called Connacht–Ulster), but had narrowly failed to be elected, losing out to Dana Rosemary Scallon for the third seat in the constituency. However in 2004, the position was reversed and Harkin was returned at Scallon's expense.

Harkin retired from her Dáil seat at the 2007 general election to concentrate on her European seat.

She is a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Group (ALDE) in the European Parliament, which comprises 85 MEPs from 19 member states. Harkin is a member of the European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the delegation for relations with the United States. She has been European Democratic Party Vice-President since December 2012. In addition, she serves as Vice-Chairwoman of the European Parliament Intergroup on Integrity (Transparency, Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime). She is also a supporter of the MEP Heart Group, a group of parliamentarians who have an interest in promoting measures that will help reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

She was re-elected to the European Parliament at the 2009 European Parliament election topping the poll in her constituency. She was again re-elected at the 2014 European Parliament election, taking the fourth seat in the new Midlands-North-West constituency.