Former Clare TD Timmy Dooley and Clare County Councillor Róisín Garvey have been appointed to Seanad Éireann by Taoiseach Micheál Martin this evening.
It had been widely tipped that Senator Dooley was high on the Fianna Fáil party leader’s list of nominees while Ms Garvey also emerged as a possible contender.
This evening, Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed his eleven nominees and among them were Timmy Dooley and Róisín Garvey.
Mr Dooley, who worked for 13 years as a Dáil deputy, lost his seat in the General Election earlier this year and was later unlucky in his bid for the Seanad where he served previously between 2002 and 2007.
Ms Garvey also unsuccessfully contested February’s General Election but was later involved as one of the Green Party’s Programme for Government negotiators.
It now means that Clare will have three Senators after Senator Martin Conway was successfully elected in April.
Confirming his nominees this evening, the Taoiseach has also advised the President to convene the first meeting of the new Seanad on Monday June 29th and confirmed that Senator Regina Doherty will be the Leader of the upper house.
I am honoured to have been nominated to Seanad Éireann. Thank you to our Green Party Leader, Éamon Ryan, for your trust in me. I will work to serve to the best of my ability and will bring an informed rural Clare voice from West of the Shannon to help tackle our challenges ahead.
— Sen. Róisín Garvey (@RoisinGarvey) June 27, 2020
The eleven Senators are:
Mary Fitzpatrick
Lorraine Clifford Lee
Erin McGreehan
Timmy Dooley
Regina Doherty
Aisling Dolan
Emer Currie
Mary Seery Kearney
Vincent P Martin
Róisín Garvey
Eileen Flynn
