Catherine Connolly

She was elected to the Dáil for the Galway West constituency at the 2016 general election. Her sister, Collette Connolly, was co-opted to Galway City Council in her place. She voted for Richard Boyd Barrett for Taoiseach, when the 32nd Dáil first met. At the 32nd Dáil's second meeting on 5 April 2016, she made her maiden speech in which she criticised the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Alan Kelly's handling of Ireland's homelessness crisis.

She contested the 2011 general election again in Galway West, where she lost out on the last seat to Fine Gael's Seán Kyne by only 17 votes. She sought a full recount, which concluded after a total of four days of counting but did not change the outcome.

She resigned from the Labour Party in 2006, when she was denied her wish to run alongside now-President Michael D. Higgins in Galway West. She contested the 2007 general election, polling just over 2,000 votes.

Connolly was first elected to Galway City Council in the city west local electoral area in June 1999 and then re-elected in the city south local electoral area in 2004. In the same year she was elected Mayor of Galway. She speaks fluent Irish. Her sister, Collette, is a Galway City Councillor, co-opted to replace her when she was elected a TD.

Originally from Shantalla, Connolly has lived in the Claddagh since 1988, and is married with two children. A former barrister, she also previously worked as a Clinical Psychologist, with the Western Health Board in Ballinasloe, Galway and Connemara.

Catherine Connolly (born 12 July 1957) is an Irish Independent politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway West constituency since the 2016 general election. She was appointed Chair of the Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands in April 2016. She served as Mayor of Galway from 2004 to 2005.