Founder of women’s rights campaign group The Countess, Laoise de Brún BL, has announced her candidacy for the Trinity College Dublin panel in the upcoming Seanad elections.
There are a total 16 candidates running for 3 TCD Seanad seats. They are Abbas Ali O’Shea, Derek Byrne. Kevin Byrne, Hazel Chu, Tom Clonan, Laoise de Brún, Hugo MacNeill, Marcus Matthews, Aubrey McCarthy, John (Jack) Mulcahy, Paul Mulville, Ade Oluborode, Sadhbh O’Neill, Lynn Ruane, Ossian Smyth, and Katherine Zappone.
Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Irish parliament, comprises a number of panels. Of the 60 senators, 49 are elected and 11 are nominated by the Taoiseach. Of the 49, six are elected directly by university graduates – three from National University of Ireland graduates, and three from University of Dublin (Trinity) graduates. A Seanad election must take place within 90 days of the Dáil being dissolved – which was done on the 8 November ahead of the general election. Polling for the Seanad election takes place in January.
The election of Senators can fall under the public’s radar, because only a portion of the public receive a vote, for only a number of seats available.
Ms de Brún, a barrister and campaigner, speaking to Gript about her campaign, said: “Trinity Senators, including Senators Norris and Robinson, have challenged orthodoxy and, in so doing, made this country a better place. Their advocacy work for gay rights and women’s rights respectively helped redefine who we are, for the better. There has never been a more pressing need for independent Senators who are unafraid to challenge the status quo and speak up for the most vulnerable.”
Ms de Brún’s gender-critical organisation has risen to prominence in recent years over its advocacy against the 2015 Gender Recognition Act, which introduced a self-ID approach to gender recognition in Ireland.
She added: “Without any funding and from outside the chamber, my work stopped the government from removing the word ‘woman’ from maternity legislation. I led a grassroots campaign that delivered the historic defeat of the Referendum last March. I have campaigned successfully against the hate speech element of the hate crime bill and the indoctrination of children into gender ideology in the classroom. Imagine what I could do inside the chamber, as your Senator.”
“Trinity gave me the confidence and the critical thinking skills to question the world around me. It is this foundation that drives my commitment to speak out, stand up for the vulnerable, and work towards a better Ireland. If elected, I intend to address delays in services for children and the policy of fully suspended sentences for guilty pleas on domestic violence and possession of child abuse images.”
Author Helen Joyce has endorsed the Countess founder’s run for the Seanad. She described the Countess as a “grassroots organisation with a consistent voice and vision that owes everything to Laoise’s leadership.”
This is the last time that the University of Dublin constituency will elect three Senators to the upper house of the Oireachtas. From 2026, Trinity graduates, along with graduates of The National University of Ireland (NUI), will elect six Senators to the Seanad’s Higher Education constituency.
The current University of Dublin Senators are Tom Clonan and Lynn Ruane. David Norris retired in January 2024.
The University of Dublin constituency has existed since 1938, and in that time notable Senators for the University have included former President Mary Robinson, Owen Sheehy-Skeffington and former Minister Shane Ross.
Other candidates running for election to the Seanad include Sandra Adams, who served as Schools and Safeguarding lead for The Countess. She has been confirmed for the NUI panel, which also includes 11 other candidates. They are Hilary Beirne, Ronán Collins, Eva Dowling, Alice-Mary Higgins, Marie Keenan, Mairead Kenny Dara Joseph Kilmartin, Michael McDowell, Rónán Mullen, Michael O’Doherty, and Linda O’Shea Farren.
Back in September, the government introduced a Bill to extend voting rights in Seanad elections to all graduates of higher education in the State. It followed a Supreme Court ruling which found that the existing university electoral panels for Seanad Éireann are unconstitutional.
While it was signed into law by President Higgins in October, this election will run under the old system. However, for all future Seanad elections, the existing University of Dublin constituency and the NUI constituency, will be replaced with a new six seater ‘Higher Education’ panel.
If you are a Trinity College graduate, you can vote to elect the three senators in this panel. Currently, 16 candidates have been nominated to contest the University of Dublin election.
Tom Clonan and Lynn Ruana are the current University of Dublin senators, while the third seat was held by David Norris, who retired in January of this year.
For the NUI panel, graduates of the universities of University College Dublin, University College Cork, University of Galway and Maynooth University all have a vote, with some 12 candidates having been nominated to contest the NUI election.
Michael McDowell, Alice-Mary Higgins and Rónán Mullen are its three current senators, and all three are seeking re-election.
To check if you are on the register or make sure your address is correct, you can email registrar@nui.ie or academic.registry@tcd.ie. The closing date for applications to the register was 26 February 2024.
Ballots open on 30th December and close at 11am on 29th January. Ballots for the election will be posted to registered voters on 30th December 2024. Over 76,000 University of Dublin graduates are registered to vote.