Toiréasa Ferris

Toiréasa Ferris

Ferris in 2013
Kerry County Councillor
Assumed office
2003
Constituency Tralee
Mayor of Kerry
In office
2005–2006
Personal details
Born 1980
County Kerry, Ireland
Nationality Irish
Political party Sinn Féin
Alma mater University of Limerick,
Queen's University Belfast

Toiréasa Ferris (born 1980) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician. Her father, Martin Ferris, is a Sinn Féin Teachta Dála (TD) for Kerry North.

Personal life

Ferris is currently a part-time tutor in law at Tralee Community College. She lives in Ardfert, County Kerry with her husband Patrick, and their daughter.[1] In 2001, Ferris spent seven months working in Mexico with a local workers' rights group.[2]

Political career

Ferris started her political activism with the party youth wing Ógra Shinn Féin in her native Tralee and in the University of Limerick. In 2005, she became the first female Mayor of Kerry, after earlier becoming the first Sinn Féin Cathaoirleach (Chairperson) of Kerry County Council in 2003.[3][4][5] Co-opted in 2003 to the seat held by her father, Martin Ferris, she was elected to the Kerry County Council in 2004, taking the first of 7 seats. She served as Mayor of Kerry County Council from 2005 to 2006. At present, Ferris serves as a Sinn Féin Councillor on Kerry County Council and Tralee Town Council.

On 18 October 2008 she was selected as a candidate in the European Parliament election in 2009 for the South constituency. She received 64,671 of the first preference vote coming third in terms of first preferences but was not elected.[6] In an article in the weekly newspaper An Phoblacht she gave an analysis of the current direction of the party saying that the party "means nothing" to the bulk of people in the Republic and that there was a perception amongst voters that Sinn Féin was a northern-based party.[7]

In March 2009, she was voted the 7th most beautiful politician in the world by Spain's 20 Minutos newspaper.[8]

In the 2014 local elections, Ferris received 2679 first preference votes with the quota of 1599, therefore she was elected on the first count and topped the poll in the Tralee Local Electoral Area.

The Late Late Show interview

In February 2006, she appeared on The Late Late Show and in an interview with Pat Kenny said she could not condemn the killing of Garda Jerry McCabe in 1996. Ferris stated that "It wouldn’t be fair to condemn one individual action when over 3,000 were killed. I don’t feel I have the right, or that it would be fair to condemn one individual act."[9] The Late Late Show interview also caused comment because her "knee-length" skirt hiked up when she crossed her legs. RTÉ was sharply criticised for having their cameras pan her legs and skirt in the middle of the interview and creating a "tabloid" atmosphere and cheapening her appearance. [10]

Fine Gael councillors in Kerry County Council attempted to table a vote of no confidence. However she survived by a wide margin due to the support of Fianna Fáil councillors.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Toiréasa Ferris - EU candidate South | Sinn Féin". Sinnfein.ie. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  2. ↑ An Phoblacht 13 November, 2008Sinn Féin profile
  3. ↑ "Mayor success inspires SF to look to the south of Kerry for more votes". Archives.tcm.ie. 7 July 2005. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  4. ↑ "Third South seat will come down to a dogfight". Archives.tcm.ie. 20 May 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  5. ↑ "Toiréasa Ferris - EU candidate South". Sinnfein.ie. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  6. ↑ "Toiréasa Ferris". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  7. ↑ "Sinn Féin in 'significant' talks". BBC News. 10 August 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  8. ↑ Letts, Quentin (26 March 2009). "Oh Yes, Minister! Meet the women voted the world's most stunning politicians". Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  9. ↑ "Anne McCabe on Toireasa Ferris". Limerickblogger.ie. 14 February 2006. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  10. ↑ "Toireasa Ferris tells how TV storm left her in tears". The Kingdom.ie. 5 December 2010.
  11. ↑ "Motion of no confidence in Mayor of Kerry defeated". Breaking.examiner.ie. 20 February 2006. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
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