Politics

Evanne Ní Chuilinn resigns from RTÉ upon nomination as Fine Gael Senator

Seven women and four men appointed to Seanad by Taoiseach to fill remaining 11 seats

One surprise nominee to the Seanad is sports broadcaster Evanne Ní Chuilinn, who has resigned from RTÉ and joined Fine Gael.
One surprise nominee to the Seanad is sports broadcaster Evanne Ní Chuilinn, who has resigned from RTÉ and joined Fine Gael.
Cormac McQuinn
Fri Feb 07 2025 - 20:24

Seven women and four men have been appointed to the Seanad by Taoiseach Micheál Martin to fill the remaining 11 seats in the upper house of the Oireachtas.

Seanad elections for the other 49 members of the 60-strong chamber concluded earlier this week.

There was an expectation that the Taoiseach’s nominations would be used to appoint more women in the wake of the backlash over the gender make-up among ranks of new Ministers.

Friday’s announcement means the gender breakdown of the Seanad will be 27 women to 33 men.

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Under the Government agreement, six of the seats were to be selected by the Fianna Fáil leader and five were to be picked by Tánaiste Simon Harris of Fine Gael.

One surprise nominee is sports broadcaster Evanne Ní Chuilinn, who has resigned from RTÉ and joined Fine Gael.

Five of the six Fianna Fáil nominees named by Mr Martin are women.

They are former minister of state and Galway East TD Anne Rabbitte; Lorraine Clifford-Lee – who had lost her Seanad seat in the election; Limerick mayoral election candidate Dee Ryan; Tipperary councillor Imelda Goldsboro; and Louth general election candidate and former broadcaster Alison Comyn.

Mr Martin’s other nominee is former Longford-Westmeath TD Joe Flaherty.

On the Fine Gael side, Ms Ní Chuilinn will be joined by disabilities advocate Nikki Bradley – who was appointed to the Seanad last year – and Cllr Manus Boyle. Both are both Donegal-based.

Cllr Noel O’Donovan, who ran unsuccessfully for the party in the general election in Cork South-West, and Roscommon councillor Gareth Scahill have also been selected.

Many of those nominated will be seen as contenders to pick up Dáil seats in the next general election.

Fianna Fáil have 19 seats in the new Seanad and Fine Gael have 18.

There are 12 Independents. The rest of the seats are held by Sinn Féin (6), Labour (2), Social Democrats (1), Green Party (1) and Aontú (1).

Mr Harris described Ms Ní Chuilinn as “an accomplished broadcaster”, and spoke of her advocacy for women in sport, mental health and women’s healthcare.

Ms Ní Chuillinn, who presented sports news bulletins on RTÉ as well as the Sunday Game, said: “I am passionate about women and girls in sport, minority sports and an Ghaeilge, and as I enter public life, I will continue to live by those passions.”

She added: “I have spoken publicly on private matters such as suicide, mental health, women’s health and infertility. These are issues which I know impact so many people across the country and I want, where I can, to be an advocate for them.”

Former senator Mary Seery-Kearney was among Fine Gael politicians whose names were mentioned in recent days as possible Seanad nominees, but who lost out.

Ms Seery-Kearney said she had enjoyed her time in the Seanad and highlighted how surrogacy legislation was delivered after “a 10-year campaign on my part”. She said this shows that the Seanad “is a place where you can get things done”.

Cormac McQuinn

Cormac McQuinn

Cormac McQuinn is a Political Correspondent at The Irish Times