Lorraine Higgins

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.

Lorraine Higgins
Higgins in 2014
Senator
In office
May 2011 – April 2016
ConstituencyNominated by the Taoiseach
Personal details
Born (1979-08-03) 3 August 1979
Galway, Ireland
Political partyLabour Party
Alma materNUI Galway

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.

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.

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.

She was appointed to the position of Honorary Consul of the Slovak Republic in 2019.

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
  1. "Lorraine Higgins". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 8 November 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
  2. "Alumni events: Dublin alumni club". Cois Coiribe. Winter 2015. Archived from the original on 22 November 2017.
  3. "Lorraine Higgins". Labour Party. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
  4. Edwards, Elaine (20 May 2011). "McAleese appointed to Seanad". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
  5. "Galway East results: Ciarán Cannon set to be elected". The Irish Times. 27 February 2016.
  6. 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.
  7. "Who We Are?". Retail Excellence. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
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