Máire Devine (born 22 October 1972) is an Irish

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...

politician who has served as a

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( ; ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish language, Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The official Engli ...

(TD) for Dublin South-Central since November 2024. She previously served as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

for the

Labour Panel The Labour Panel is one of five vocational panels which together elect 43 of the 60 members of Seanad Éireann, the senate of the Oireachtas (the legislature of Ireland). The Labour Panel elects eleven senators. Election Article 18 of the Const ...

from June 2016 to June 2020.

Early and personal life

Devine was born in The Liberties to a family of republicans involved in campaigns around the 1981 Irish hunger strike. She is married to Kevin Devine; they have three children. She worked as a psychiatric nurse while a councillor and was a long-term

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

activist.

Political career

Devine was co-opted onto South Dublin County Council in 2011, representing Tallaght Central. She was re-elected in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

. She stood unsuccessfully in Dublin South-Central at the 2016 general election, but was later elected to the 25th Seanad on the

. In 2018, she was suspended from Sinn Féin for three months after retweeting a parody Twitter account that referred to Irish Prison Service officer Brian Stack (fatally shot by the

Provisional IRA The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...

in 1983) as a " sadist." She lost her seat at the 2020 Seanad election. In October 2020 she was co-opted to

Dublin City Council Dublin City Council () is the Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authority of the city of Dublin in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the authority was k ...

representing the South West Inner City to replace Críona Ní Dhálaigh who resigned from her seat the previous month. She was returned to the council in the 2024 local elections. Later in the same year, she was added to Sinn Féin's ticket in Dublin South-Central alongside Aengus Ó Snodaigh and Daithí Doolan. At the 2024 general election, Devine was elected to the Dáil on the 15th and final count.

References

External links

Máire Devine's page on the Sinn Féin website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devine, Maire 1972 births Living people Sinn Féin senators Members of the 25th Seanad 21st-century women members of Seanad Éireann Politicians from Dublin (city) Members of South Dublin County Council Members of Dublin City Council Sinn Féin candidates in Dáil elections (post-1923) Sinn Féin local councillors in the Republic of Ireland Labour Panel senators Members of the 34th Dáil Sinn Féin TDs (post-1923) 21st-century women Teachtaí Dála