Former Independent minister and high-profile LGBT-rights campaigner Katherine Zappone is making a bid to be elected to the Seanad for the University of Dublin constituency.
Ms Zappone – who served as minister for children in the 2016 to 2020 Fine Gael-led minority government – handed in her election papers at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) on Friday.
Originally from the United States, Ms Zappone is a co-founder of the An Cosán adult education centre and is a former TCD lecturer.
She was previously a member of the Seanad between 2011 and 2016 having been appointed by then-taoiseach Enda Kenny.
In 2016 she was the first Independent politician to sign up to join his minority government and she secured a cabinet seat as part of the deal.
She moved to New York after she lost her Dáil seat in the 2020 general election.
There was controversy the following year after a bid by then-minister for foreign affairs Simon Coveney to appoint her as a special envoy on freedom of expression to the United Nations, a newly created role that came with €15,000-a-year in pay.
She ultimately declined the job amid the political row that ensued, saying at the time: “it is clear that criticism of the appointment process has impacted the legitimacy of the role itself.”
A later Department of Foreign Affairs review found that Ireland’s special envoys should be appointed in an “open, accountable and transparent manner”.
A statement announcing Ms Zappone’s Seanad candidacy said her work as minister for children “saw the delivery of key reforms in early childhood education, gender equality, reproductive healthcare and social policy”.
It also said “her leadership was instrumental in Ireland’s historic Marriage Equality referendum in May 2015”.
She asked her wife, Ann Louise Gilligan, to remarry her in Ireland on the day the referendum passed. The couple had previously married in Canada. Ms Gilligan died in 2017.
The statement also said: “In returning to the Seanad, Katherine aims to leverage her extensive experience to tackle today’s pressing challenges, including securing the future of higher education and research, lifting all children in Ireland out of poverty, protecting democracy, and defending LGBTQI+ rights.”
Ms Zappone said: “As we navigate an era of extraordinary social and environmental change, I am committed to advancing inclusive policies that uphold our shared values and build a promising future for all.”
She added: “We need to cultivate a kinder, inclusive society where engagement and dialogue drive our greatest leaps forward.”
The current University of Dublin Senators are Tom Clonan and Lynn Ruane. David Norris retired in January 2024.
Sixteen candidates have been nominated to contest the upcoming University of Dublin Seanad election. Ballots for the election will be posted to registered voters on December 30th, 2024. The poll closes at 11am on January 29th, 2025.
The full list of candidates in the University of Dublin Seanad election:
- Abbas Ali O’Shea
- Derek Byrne
- Kevin Byrne
- Hazel Chu
- Tom Clonan
- Laoise de Brún
- Hugo MacNeill
- Marcus Matthews
- Aubrey McCarthy
- John (Jack) Mulcahy
- Paul Mulville
- Ade Oluborode
- Sadhbh O’Neill
- Lynn Ruane
- Ossian Smyth
- Katherine Zappone
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