An Tanaiste and Leader of The Labour Party, Joan Burton, has joined with her colleagues, Deputy Leader Alan Kelly, and Joe Costello TD, in congratulating Mairia Cahill on her election to Seanad Eireann today.

An Tanaiste said that today is a proud day for The Labour Party, and that Mairia Cahill will be an excellent addition to both the Seanad and to the Parliamentary Labour Party.

Mairia Cahill was elected to Seanad Eireann in a bye-election to the Industrial and Commercial Panel following the resignation of Labour Party Senator Jimmy Harte.

An Tanaiste commented, “The Labour Party nominated Mairia Cahill for the Seanad because we believe that she has made, and can continue to make, a major contribution to Irish public life.

“In the past she has shown immense courage and bravery to speak out about her own abuse and to continue to campaign for justice. She now has the opportunity to use her period in the Seanad to continue this work, and also to draw on her background in youth employment, activism, and community enterprise to effect positive change in the lives of jobseekers.

“Today is a good day for our parliament and for our party.”

Mairia Cahill commented, “I am extremely proud to have been elected to Seanad Eireann in this bye-election.

“I want to thank Joan Burton and Alan Kelly for proposing and seconding me; Joe Costello for serving as my Director of Elections; the members of the Labour Parliamentary Party for voting for me; and to the Taoiseach, his colleagues in Fine Gael (in particular Regina Doherty), and individual independents for their support.

“I am also extremely conscious of remembering Jimmy Harte on this day. Two years ago Jimmy suffered a terrible accident that ultimately led to his resignation from the Seanad. His family have been through a very difficult period. They have supported me consistently, and if I can be half as popular a Senator as Jimmy I will be happy.

“I want to use my time in the Seanad to continue to work for victims of abuse. In recent years I have developed excellent relations with the Rape Crisis Centres and Women’s Aid network throughout Ireland. At the earliest opportunity, and with the co-operation of my Labour Party colleagues, I would like to invite senior representatives of these organisations to Leinster House for a discussion on how we can improve supports for victims of abuse. That is the issue that has brought me to where I am today, and it is the issue that I will continue to campaign on during my time as a Senator.

“I also want to use my time in the Oireachtas to explore ways of engaging young jobseekers in this country and to help change their lives for the better.”

Labour Deputy Leader, Alan Kelly, commented, “I have known Mairia Cahill for over a year and am delighted that she accepted my invitation to join our party and be our candidate in this election. Mairia has had to put up with a lot over recent years, but I believe today is a positive and proud moment for her, her family, and all those who have supported her in recent times.

“I’d also like to acknowledge the excellent contribution Jimmy Harte made to the Seanad and look forward to Mairia Cahill making a similar contribution.”

Joe Costello TD, Director of Elections for the Seanad bye-election, added, “I was delighted to serve as Mairia’s Director of Elections in this campaign. Over that time Mairia and I met many individual members of both Houses of the Oireachtas, and I wish to thank them for their time and courtesy over recent weeks. In particular I’d like to extend my thanks to Deputy Regina Doherty and the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party for their support.

“Mairia will be an excellent Senator and I and my colleagues in the Parliamentary Labour Party look forward to working with her in the weeks and months ahead.”