DAIL suspensions and chaos in Cabinet kicked started Verona Muphy’s first few weeks as Ceann Comhairle.
On her first day on the job, tensions rose over a speaking row which led her to suspend the return of the new Dail, twice.
Tensions over speaking rows rose once again this week as Murphy was shouted and jeered at by opposition TDs, again forcing her to suspend the Dail.
But who is Verona Murphy, Ireland’s first ever female Ceann Comhairle?
FIRST WOMAN TO DO IT
Murphy made history in 2024 when she became the first ever woman to be elected as Ceann Comhairle of the Dail.
Traditionally running as an Independent TD, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail came together to back Murphy for the role ahead of the November General Election.
Murphy has been working in politics since 2019, with a whopping €255k salary since she took on the new role.
Earlier this year, she spoke about her desire to step into the role, telling Southeast Radio: “I have no doubt I’m certainly in a better position as Ceann Comhairle to influence and deliver for Wexford than I would be as a TD in opposition.”
Murphy was officially elected on the third count, beating out Fianna Fail TD Sean O Fearghail, Fianna Fail TD John McGuinness, and Sinn Fein’s Aengus O Snodaigh.
WHO IS SHE?
Murphy was born in 1971 and grew up on a farm in Ramsgrange, Co Wexford.
She is one of 11 siblings and at the age of 16, she dropped out of school to work in England.
In England, she worked at a Vauxhall Motors factory during the day and at McDonald’s at night.
Two years after leaving Ireland, she returned and started working in transport and haulage.
She was 21 when she bought her first trucks and also began training as a beautician.
In her 30s, Murphy went back to education and completed her Leaving Cert, which she achieved at 35, before graduating from Carlow IT with a BA in law.
In 2015, she was elected the president of the Irish Road Haulage Association.
She gave the position up in 2020 when she was first elected to the Dail.
POLITICAL CAREER
Murphy’s political career first began in November 2019 when she was selected as the Fine Gael candidate in the Wexford by-election.
She wasn’t successful in this run after being eliminated on the fourth count.
Later that year, in December, Murphy was de-selected by Fine Gael in the 2020 general election as a candidate and the two went their separate ways.
Murphy then ran as an Independent in the 2020 election, securing a TD role for Wexford.
By 2024, she began running a team of 12 candidates in the Wexford Independent Alliance.
This saw five candidates elected to the Wexford County Council during the local elections.
In November’s general election, Murphy was re-elected on the first count.
FAMILY LIFE
The 53-year-old likes to stay private when it comes to her personal life, with very little publicly known.
She does, however, have a 30-year-old daughter named Robyn.
She gave birth to Robyn at the age of 22 as a single mother.
Upon being elected as Ceann Comhairle, Murphy and her daughter were seen celebrating together in the Dail.
Murphy also ran a haulage firm, Drumur Transport, in early career with partner Joseph Druhan, who she is still in a relationship with.
The firm was still up and running until its closure in 2021.
Verona is also grandmother to Eoin, who shares a birthday with partner Joe.
ELECTION AS CEANN COMHAIRLE
Fianna Fail and Fine Gael TDs were asked to vote for independent Verona Murphy to become the new Ceann Comhairle.
Two Fianna Fail TDs in John McGuinness and Sean O’Fearghail also ran for the position and managed to get 48 votes between them – with 21 government politicians ignoring their leaders’ request to back Verona Murphy.
One TD even made a mess of their ballot and accidentally spoiled their vote after not clearly indicating their first preference on the paper.
Despite this, Wexford’s Verona Murphy was elected the first ever female Ceann Comhairle on the third count beating Sinn Fein’s Aengus O’Snodaigh by 89 votes to 67.
Seated in the Ceann Comhairle’s chair, Ms Murphy said she was “humbled, honoured and privileged” to serve in the role and committed to be impartial, “even-handed and even-tempered”.
She said she would improve her Irish “to a level that is commensurate with the office I now hold” after the issue of Irish proficiency was raised by the Sinn Fein candidate Aengus O Snodaigh.
The history-making TD added: “To the people of Wexford, I want to say my office is open and normal service resumes after the Christmas holidays, and will be maintained and improved.”
