Lorraine Higgins
Irish barrister and former politician (born 1979)
Lorraine Higgins
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Higgins in 2014
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Senator | |
In office
May 2011 – April 2016 |
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Constituency | Nominated by the Taoiseach |
Personal details | |
Born |
(
1979-08-03
)
3 August 1979
(age
43)
Galway , Ireland |
Political party | Labour Party |
Alma mater | NUI Galway |
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Lorraine Higgins (born 3 August 1979) is an Irish barrister, and a former Labour Party politician who represented the party in the 24th Seanad after being nominated by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny . [1] From Galway , she is a graduate of NUI Galway (acquiring a B.A. from the university in 2001) [2] and, later, the King's Inns . [3] During her time there she was Labour Party Seanad spokesperson on Reform and Foreign Affairs.
Career
She ran as a candidate in the Galway East constituency at the 2011 general election . In May 2011, she was nominated by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny to the 24th Seanad . [4]
Higgins was a candidate for the Labour Party in the Midlands–North-West constituency for the 2014 European Parliament election but failed to take a seat during one of the worst elections for the Party. She did, however, get the most Party votes in all the constituencies they contested. [ citation needed ]
In 2015, leading national publication, the Irish Times named her as one of the Top 5 People in Politics to Watch and one of the Top 50 People in Ireland to Watch. [ citation needed ]
She unsuccessfully contested the 2016 Irish general election for the Galway East constituency. [5]
She was not selected for re-appointment to the 25th Seanad . Higgins complained about how "regrettable" it was that more women were not included in the parliamentary party. She was quoted as saying: "For me it was the last throw of the dice and I probably won't be involved in representative politics again". [6]
In March 2017, Higgins became employed as Head of Public Affairs and Communications and as a board member with Retail Excellence. She was promoted to the position of CEO in July 2018. [7]
She subsequently founded leading digital representative body, Digital Business Ireland, and Dublin-based consultancy company, Rockwood Public Affairs. [ citation needed ]
She was appointed to the position of Honorary Consul of the Slovak Republic in 2019. [ citation needed ]
In August 2020, she attended a golf party in County Galway which breached the COVID-19 guidelines. [8]
2015 threats and harassment
During the summer of 2015, a man named Stephen French of Walkinstown sent her messages involving violent and anti-Semitic content, saying that he "will watch her bleed" and that he is "going to blow her fucking Jew nose right off". [9] In the aftermath of the incidents, French was spared from serving time in jail and given a suspended six-month sentence after his guilty plea to three charges of threatening Higgins and two charges of harassing her. [10]
References
- ↑ "Lorraine Higgins" . Oireachtas Members Database . Archived from the original on 8 November 2018 . Retrieved 29 May 2011 .
- ↑ "Alumni events: Dublin alumni club" . Cois Coiribe . Winter 2015. Archived from the original on 22 November 2017.
- ↑ "Lorraine Higgins" . Labour Party . Archived from the original on 5 June 2011 . Retrieved 29 May 2011 .
- ↑ Edwards, Elaine (20 May 2011). "McAleese appointed to Seanad" . The Irish Times . Archived from the original on 16 October 2012 . Retrieved 29 May 2011 .
- ↑ "Galway East results: Ciarán Cannon set to be elected" . The Irish Times . 27 February 2016.
- ↑ Minihan, Mary (18 March 2016). "Ó Ríordáin and Humphreys selected by Labour for Seanad elections" . The Irish Times . Archived from the original on 24 March 2016 . Retrieved 19 March 2016 .
- ↑ "Who We Are?" . Retail Excellence . Archived from the original on 3 April 2017 . Retrieved 3 April 2017 .
- ↑ Moore, Aoife (21 August 2020). "#Golfgate: Invite to Oireachtas event didn't mention pandemic" . Irish Examiner . Archived from the original on 24 August 2020 . Retrieved 21 August 2020 .
- ↑ Pheland, Andrew; Schiller, Robin (10 January 2018). " 'I will watch you bleed' - internet troll spared jail despite vile death threats against senator" . Independent.ie . Archived from the original on 10 January 2018 . Retrieved 17 March 2019 .
- ↑ Hanley, Valerie (14 January 2018). "Mother of Online Troll Who Sent Death Threats to Senator: 'I've Cut Off Out internet' " . extra.ie . Retrieved 17 March 2019 .