Speaking in the South Dublin County Council Chamber
Thank you for visiting my website. Having grown up locally in Tallaght and then in Rathfarnham, I was delighted to top the poll in the 2019 local elections. I took up my seat in South Dublin County Council in May of that year.
I studied ‘European Studies’ in Trinity College and graduated in 2002. I was elected President of the Students’ Union the same year and then President of the Union of Students in Ireland the year after. In 2005, I was awarded a scholarship at the University of Notre Dame, IN, where I completed a masters in education.
In the past, I have run for the Seanad on the University Panel. The first while I was working with high-risk re-offenders in the Probation Services and then, in 2016, while running a youth service on one of the most marginalised estates in the country in Limerick City.
Watching so many young lives unnecessarily slide out of view, focused my mind on national policy. I attempted to influence this first through the ‘Apprentice Programme’. The initiative was an alternative approach to community empowerment and meaningful employment for at-risk young people. There is a link above to a TEDx talk I was invited to give about our goals.
I wrote a play, ‘Inferno, Kid’, about the realities of urban renewable and, as I saw it, the misguided focus. The piece was performed by an inspiration young man from Moyross. The award-winning play featured in the Edinburgh Fringe last year.
Originally, I stood for the Dublin University Seanad Election as an independent, something I was extremely proud to do. Since then, I have reflected on the multiplying effect of a value-based party and the impending climate crisis. For these reasons, I joined the Green Party. There are many challenges ahead, both in terms of social policy and climate change. I believe I have the energy, creativity and commitment to play an active role in addressing these.
