Mairéad Farrell | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Farrell in 2024 | |
| Chair of thePublic Accounts Committee | |
| In office 22 October 2024 – 8 November 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Brian Stanley |
| Succeeded by | John Brady |
| Teachta Dála | |
| Assumed office February 2020 | |
| Constituency | Galway West |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1990-01-05)5 January 1990 (age 35) Galway, Ireland |
| Political party | Sinn Féin |
| Relatives | Mairéad Farrell (aunt) |
| Alma mater | |
Mairéad Farrell (born 5 January 1990)[1] is an IrishSinn Féin politician who has been aTeachta Dála (TD) for theGalway West constituency since the2020 general election.[2]
Mairéad Farrell is from the Mervue area inGalway City.[3] Her father, Niall, is an anti-war activist and her aunt, also calledMairéad Farrell, was a member of theProvisional Irish Republican Army who became one of theGibraltar Three (three PIRA members killed by theBritish SAS inGibraltar).[4]
Farrell holds aBachelor of Arts in Economics and History fromNUI Galway and aMaster of Science in Finance fromQueen's University Belfast.[5]
In her youth, Farrell and her family canvassed forCatherine Connolly and her sister Colette during their election campaigns.[6] Farrell joinedÓgra Shinn Féin in college, describing it as a formative experience that offered both political training and social engagement, and she credited it with giving young members valuable opportunities to develop skills such as organising and public speaking. While her family background influenced her politicisation, she said she did not feel burdened by the republican legacy of her late aunt and namesake. Farrell explained that she had long aspired to join Sinn Féin, but followed her mother’s advice to wait until after school, formally becoming a member before college. She has cited the2008 financial crash as a decisive factor, saying Sinn Féin’s economic positions and her own commitment to Irish unity aligned with the party’s left-republican outlook.[6]
Farrell sat on Sinn Féin's National Youth Committee for five years. She represented the Galway City East local electoral area onGalway City Council from 2014 to 2019.[7][8][9] She became a TD for Galway West in February 2020 at that year's General Election.[2]She is Sinn Féin's Spokesperson on Public Expenditure and Reform. She appeared on theIrish Times list of top 50 young people to watch in 2021[10] as well as one of 10 TDs making a name for themselves since the 2020 election[11] in theIrish Examiner.
Farrell is a regular contributor to Irish and international media and has written for theIrish Times, theIrish Examiner and international publications such asCounterPunch.[12]
In June 2023 Farrell was scheduled to appear alongsideClare Daly,Mick Wallace,Catherine Connolly,George Galloway and academicKaren Devine in a neutrality forum hosted by the organisation Galway Alliance Against War, which describes itself as a group in Galway for those who are "opposed to war and military imperialism", prior to the event's cancellation. Farrell said she would be discussing her party's position at the event.[13]
Farrell served as Cathaoirleach of the Dáil's influentialPublic Accounts Committee, afterBrian Stanley's resignation from Sinn Féin from 22 October 2024 until the2024 general election.[14][15]
Farrell was re-elected in 2024. She was subsequently appointed Cathaoirleach of the Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach.[16] She currently serves onSinn Féin's Front Bench, as spokesperson onPublic Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.