Who is Mairead McGuinness, how many are in her family and has she always been in politics?

IRISH MEP Mairead McGuinness has been named as the replacement for Phil Hogan at the European Commission. www.eudebates.tv/ #eudebates #coronavirusbelgium #Covid_19 #coronavirus #CoronavirusOutbreak #Corona #COVD19 #Health #EUCO #COVID #EUstaff #EUemployees #Hogan #PhilHogan #Golfgate www.eudebates.tv/ #eudebates #Mairead #McGuinness #McDowell
The President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, appointed the Louth woman as Ireland’s next Commissioner-Designate with responsibility for Financial Services, Financial Stability and the Capital Markets Union.
McGuinness has been named as the replacement for Phil Hogan at the European Commission. McGuinness has been named as the replacement for Phil Hogan at the European. The Fine Gael MEP will replace Hogan, who was forced to resign after attending the controversial ‘Golfgate’ Oireachtas dinner in Clifden.
Mairead is currently the First Vice President of the European Parliament and will be a vital player in Brexit talks for Ireland.
Von der Leyen said she has her “full trust” for the role: “I propose @MaireadMcGMEP as future Commissioner for financial services.
"She has great qualifications & my full trust for this post. It is now for the EU Parliament to organise the hearings.”
She added: “Ms McGuinness has significant political experience on EU issues, having been an MEP since 2004 and currently holding the post of first Vice-President of the European Parliament.
“This experience is crucial in carrying forward the EU’s financial sector policy agenda and ensuring it supports and strengthens the Commission’s key priorities, notably the twin green and digital transition.”
But just who is Mairead McGuinness? Here Nicola Bardon explains why the Louth woman was perfect for the part.
WHERE IS SHE FROM?
Born in 1959, Mairead comes from Ardee, in Co Louth.
She went to school in the town for primary and secondary, before going to Dublin for college.
She now lives outside the town near Drumcondrath, Co Meath, with her husband potato farmer Tom Duff, and their four children, twins Orlaith and James, daughter Aine and son Cathal.
HAS SHE ALWAYS BEEN IN POLITICS?
After leaving school, Mairead began studying at UCD, where she became the first female graduate of their Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics in 1980.
She followed that up with a diploma in accounting and finance. She used these to land a job in media straight from college, and worked as a radio producer in RTE before getting a job as a researcher on the country’s biggest show, the Late Late Show.
But most people will remember her as a host on Ear to the Ground.
And while reality TV is commonplace now, she was once a host of one of RTE’s first attempts at the genre, Celebrity Farm.
She also was a journalist with the Irish Farmers Journal, before taking on the editor role for seven years in the Irish Independent’s farming supplement.
SO HOW DID SHE END UP AN MEP?
After a successful career in media, Mairead revealed in 2004 she wanted to seek a nomination for the European Parliament for Fine Gael, and topped the poll.
In 2007, she tried and failed to get a seat in the general election for Louth, but was re-elected to the European Parliament two years later again coming first.
In 2011, she expressed her wish to run for President of Ireland as a Fine Gael representative, but was defeated by Gay Mitchell for the nomination, with Michael D Higgins taking the spot.
However, her success in Europe saw her promoted to the First Vice President of the Parliament in 2014 with the majority vote.
DIDN’T SHE GO VIRAL WITH FARAGE?
Yes. In the week that a Brexit withdrawal plan was being debated in the Parliament, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage stood up and declared the ‘UK is never coming back.’
He caused scenes as he and his party members stood up cheering and waving Union Jack flags.
But he had his microphone turned off mid-sentence by McGuinness, who said: “If you disobey the rules, you get cut off. Please sit down, resume your seats, put your flags away.
"You’re leaving, and take them with you if you are leaving now.”
The clip was shared around the world.
SO NOW SHE IS THE COMMISSIONER?
She has been chosen but the role is not official yet.
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[@stevendouglas3860]

The Epitomy of Privileged Arrogant .

[@johnbrendanoneill1029]

Irexit

[@theoilandgasresourceportal2132]

OMFG... This woman is a joke, and exactly why i voted for Brexit

[@jackkeown]

She’s better than any uk politician will ever be

[@alphabetaxenonzzzcat]

Agreed. She very much is the mould of a Blairite, Clintonesque globalist politician.