First elected to Galway City Council as a Labour candidate in 1999, serving as mayor of the city five years later.

Having served as director of elections in 2002 for Michael D Higgins, she left Labour and contested the 2007 general election when the party refused to run two candidates in the constituency.

She was unsuccessful and again in 2011 — when she missed out by 17 votes — but was elected for the first time to Dáil Éireann in 2016 and held her seat four years later.

A former barrister and clinical psychologist, the 67-year old served as Leas Ceann-Comhairle in the 33rd Dáil since 2020 and maintains a loyal and strong vote in Galway city and south Connemara as she heads back to Dáil Éireann for the third time.