Nuala Ahern was first elected to the European Parliament in 1994, having served for three years as a member of Wicklow County Council.
Born in Omeath, Co Louth, she is a daughter of Newry-born Mr Vincent McDowell, who was deeply involved in the foundation of the civil rights movement in the North and who served as its vice-chairman.
Now based in Greystones, Co Wicklow, she became involved in politics in the Dundalk area where she campaigned for the closure of the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant, which remains one of her main objectives.
Educated at Omeath and at the Dominican Convent, Dun Lao ghaire, she took a psychology degree at Brunel University in London and, before becoming a full-time public representative, was a counselling psychologist by profession.
She is a member of the Parliament's energy, research and technology; legal affairs; regional; and petitions committees, the latter of which is responsible for citizens' rights.
After a relatively low-key beginning to her parliamentary career, she has enjoyed a higher profile of late, partly because of her vocal opposition to the use of GMOs in the food chain. Her husband, Barry, is a schoolteacher.