Profile: Louise O’Reilly (SF)

Successful in her first attempt to secure a Dáil seat, Louise O’Reilly (42) is a second-generation trade unionist. For more than a decade she has been active in that area. This led to her being selected as the Sinn Féin candidate for Dublin Fingal in March 2015, despite the fact that she did not have a background in representative politics. Before being elected as a TD this weekend, she was a full-time trade union organiser and a member of the public services committee of Ictu. Based in Crumlin, she was among the most active of the candidates on the campaign trail and has been knocking on doors in search of votes for months. She is married with one daughter.