Ratoath neighbours Nina Carberry and Regina Doherty begin terms in European Parliament
European Parliament constituencies are massive, with hundreds of thousands of voters and sometimes stretching right across the country, so the election of two MEPs living in the same parish is a very rare phenomenon.
Two of Ireland newly elected MEPs, former jockey, Nina Carberry and Regina Doherty, the former FG Minister for Social Protection and Leas Cathaoirleach of Seanad Eireann, both live in Ratoath,
While the Midlands North West constituency that Nina Carberry represents stretches from Malin Head in Donegal to Galway and across to Laytown and Carlingford, the Dublin constituency, where Regina Doherty was elected is smaller geographically, but with a massive population and almost a million registered voters.
Nina Carberry was elected in the early hours of Friday morning on the 21st count along with FG running mate Maria Walsh and Ciaran Mullooly of Independent Ireland at the end of a marathon, six-day European election count in Castlebar. Luke Ming Flanagan (Ind) and Barry Cowen (FF) had been elected earlier.
Following her election she said “I wouldn’t be here without the voters. Thank you for believing in me. I am ready to work.”
“My priority is to work really hard for the next five years and deliver for my constituency.
“I live in a commuter belt and I want to make sure that they have facilities and amenities. I'm from a farming background and I will be a strong voice for them in Europe. I see a skill shortage there and I know Europe can help people to re-skill and up-skill, and that's something I really want to do and prioritise.”
Regina Doherty was the first elected to the Dublin constituency ahead of ahead of Fianna Fáil’s Barry Andrews, Sinn Féin’s Lynn Boylan and Labour’s Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
She said it was a “bloody marvellous feeling” to top the poll in Dublin.
“We’ve had a really renewed sense of energy in the last couple of months.
“And it’s not just because the Taoiseach has it, he has made us all believe in ourselves and instil a new energy so that we go that extra mile.”
Doherty is the deputy leader and former leader of the Seanad.
She has been a senator since 2020. She is a former TD for Meath East and a former member of Meath County Council. She is a former Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and was also the Government’s Chief Whip from 2016 to 2017.
Carberry, who rode seven winners at the Cheltenham is one of Ireland's most successful female jockeys. In 2011, she won the Irish Grand National on Organisedconfusion.