Sinn Féin has announced that Slieve Gullion councillor Aoife Finnegan will fill the Assembly seat that was left vacant following Conor Murphy’s election to the Seanad.
Party members unanimously endorsed Finnegan to take the Newry and Armagh seat during a convention on Saturday.
Finnegan has been a councillor on Newry, Mourne and Down District Council since 2020
“I am both delighted and honoured to have been selected by Sinn Féin to represent Newry and Armagh in the Assembly. I want to thank all our local party activists for putting their trust in me as I take on this exciting new role.
“As a local councillor, I have worked tirelessly over many years to support workers and families and to ensure our community has access to the best possible facilities and opportunities.
“I am committed to continuing that work in the Assembly, where I will work every day to better the lives of the people in Newry and Armagh, and to strengthen public services.
“I look forward to working alongside the growing and dynamic all-island Sinn Féin team at this exciting time for politics on our island, with momentum for constitutional change continuing to grow.
“I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to our outgoing MLA and new Seanadóir, Conor Murphy.
“Conor has been a titan in Irish politics for over three decades, and he will now bring his wealth of experience and energy to Leinster House, placing Irish unity at the top of the agenda in the Senate.”
– Aoife Finnegan MLA
Former Economy Minister Conor Murphy was elected to the Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas, in the Republic of Ireland.
Finnegan worked in Conor Murphy’s constituency office for many years, and has been a Sinn Féin activist since she was a teenager, the party said.
She is a Crossmaglen native, and she currently lives there with her husband and children.
8Axx3gxm0Ra
rau0XCXJh66