Órfhlaith Begley

Órfhlaith Begley was born in 1991 in Carrickmore, County Tyrone, and studied Law with Politics at Queen’s University in Belfast. Begley went on to study at the Institute of Professional and Legal Studies, where she graduated as a solicitor. She then worked with her brother as a solicitor in Portadown, County Armagh, covering both civil and criminal law. Her father, Seán Begley, was a Sinn Féin councillor on Omagh District Council for 26 years. She was first elected as the Sinn Fein MP for West Tyrone in a 2018 by-election caused by the resignation of Barry McElduff, who resigned after mocking the Kingsmill massacre. At the by-election, Begley won with 47 per cent of the vote, albeit down from the 50 per cent gained by her predecessor. Begley is the first woman to hold the West Tyrone constituency, although as an abstentionist does not take her seat. She was re-elected at the 2019 general election with a slightly reduced majority of 7,478. Begley is a new voice in the world of Northern Ireland politics and thought to be a rising star.