Mary Lou McDonald | |
---|---|
Leader of the Opposition | |
Assumed office 27 June 2020 | |
President | Michael D. Higgins |
Taoiseach | |
Preceded by | Micheál Martin |
President of Sinn Féin | |
Assumed office 10 February 2018 | |
Vice President | Michelle O'Neill |
Preceded by | Gerry Adams |
Vice President of Sinn Féin | |
In office 22 February 2009 – 10 February 2018 | |
President | Gerry Adams |
Preceded by | Pat Doherty |
Succeeded by | Michelle O'Neill |
Teachta Dála | |
Assumed office February 2011 | |
Constituency | Dublin Central |
Member of the European Parliament | |
In office 1 July 2004 – 20 June 2009 | |
Constituency | Dublin |
Personal details | |
Born | Mary Louise McDonald 1 May 1969 Churchtown, Dublin, Ireland |
Political party | Sinn Féin |
Other political affiliations | Fianna Fáil (1998–1999) |
Spouse |
Martin Lanigan (m. 1996) |
Children | 2 |
Education | Notre Dame School, Dublin |
Alma mater | |
Website | Official website |
Mary Louise McDonald (born 1 May 1969) is an Irish politician who has served as Leader of the Opposition in Ireland since June 2020 and President of Sinn Féin since February 2018. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Central constituency since 2011. She previously served as vice president of Sinn Féin from 2009 to 2018 and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Dublin constituency from 2004 to 2009.[1]
On 10 February 2018, McDonald succeeded longtime party leader Gerry Adams as president of Sinn Féin, following a special ardfheis (party conference) in Dublin.[2] In the 2020 general election, Sinn Féin's performance improved significantly and it was the first time in almost a century that neither Fianna Fáil nor Fine Gael won the most votes. Sinn Féin achieved the second-highest number of seats at 37, one behind Fianna Fáil's 38 seats.[3]
Following Micheál Martin's appointment as Taoiseach in June 2020, after the formation of a Fianna Fáil, Green Party and Fine Gael coalition, McDonald became Leader of the Opposition. She is the first woman to occupy that position and the first to come from a party other than Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael since the Labour Party's Thomas Johnson in 1927.