The 51-year-old Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has been a TD for Sinn Féin in Donegal northeast since the 2020 general election.
He was previously elected in 2011 but lost his seat in the 2016 general election and became a senator on the Industrial and Commercial Panel from 2016 to 2020 before regaining his Dáil seat.
Married to Sinéad, Mr Mac Lochlainn left school aged 14 before returning to adult education and previously worked as a painter and decorator.
Born in Leeds in England, Mac Lochlainn returned to Buncrana with his family aged 10 and has lived there since. His father was a Provisional IRA member who spent almost 10 years in jail.
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While his father was in jail, Mac Lochlainn was raised by his mother and grandmother. He has described both women as “two strong, loving Traveller women”.
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