Catherine Murphy

Catherine Murphy (born 1 September 1953) is an Irish former Social Democrats politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Kildare North constituency from 2011 to 2024, and previously from 2005 to 2007. She served as founding joint leader of the Social Democrats from 2015 to 2023.

Early and personal life Murphy was raised in Palmerstown, County Dublin, but moved to Leixlip, County Kildare in 1978. She has two children with husband Derek Murphy.

Political career Elections to the DáilPartyElection Result Kildare 1989 1,520 3.0 Eliminated on count 5/9 Kildare 1992 1,613 3.2 Eliminated on count 8/12 Kildare North 1997 2,762 8.8 Eliminated on count 4/5 Kildare North 2005 by-election 5,985 23.6 Elected on count 5/5 Kildare North 2007 5,188 11.5 Eliminated on count 6/6 Kildare North 2011 6,911 13.5 Elected on count 5/5 Kildare North 2016 11,108 22.7 Elected on count 1/9 Kildare North 2020 9,808 19.3 Elected on count 3/6 Workers' Party and Democratic Left Originally becoming involved in politics through campaigns against high local service charges in Leixlip, she joined the Workers' Party in 1983. She first held political office in 1988, when she was elected to Leixlip Town Commission. She stood unsuccessfully as a Workers' Party candidate for the Leinster constituency at the 1989 European Parliament election and for the Kildare constituency at the 1989 general election.

She was elected at 1991 Kildare County Council election for the Celbridge local electoral area. When the Workers' Party split in 1992, she followed Proinsias De Rossa into the new Democratic Left, and stood unsuccessfully as a Democratic Left candidate in Kildare at the 1992 and 1997 general elections. However, in the 1999 local elections, she was re-elected to Kildare County Council, this time for the Leixlip local electoral area representing the Labour Party, she also won a seat on Leixlip Town Council.

Independent politician She resigned from the Labour Party in June 2003, citing what she termed "destructive internal intrigues". She stood as an independent at the 2004 local elections and was re-elected to both council seats, topping the poll. Murphy's campaign was based on such issues as transport, local government, affordable housing and education, and after her victory she promised to be a "thorn in the side" of the government.

At the 2007 general election, she lost her seat to her by-election opponent Áine Brady. Brady was elected on the first count; Murphy held on until the last, when Fine Gael's Bernard Durkan reached the quota by transfers from his eliminated running mate. In July 2008, she regained the council seat she had formerly held before her election as a TD (due to the dual mandate) when the councillor that replaced her, Gerry McDonagh, resigned his seat.

She was re-elected to the council at the 2009 local elections, topping the poll with over 2,000 more votes than the quota. She was also re-elected to Leixlip Town Council.

Murphy regained her Dáil seat following the 2011 general election. She sat in the Technical group where she was the chief whip.

On 20 September 2011, Murphy confirmed she had signed papers nominating Senator David Norris as a candidate at the 2011 presidential election, she said, "to ensure that [Senator David Norris] can be judged not by fellow politicians but by the people of Ireland."

She was critical of the household charge, describing it as a "fundamentally unfair" one.

Denis O'Brien controversy On 27 May 2015, Murphy attempted to raise issue in the Dáil the issue of billionaire Denis O'Brien receiving an injunction barring the media from revealing details of his request that the liquidator of the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation continue favourable terms O'Brien had received from the bank. Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett ruled her contributions "out of order". Murphy attempted to raise the matter again the following day, this time with more success.

Lawyers acting for O'Brien immediately forced the country's media to censor its coverage, which some media outlets confirmed. RTÉ reporter Philip Boucher-Hayes tweeted that Drivetime would play Murphy's speech; it was not broadcast and his tweet was deleted.

Social Democrats On 15 July 2015, Murphy launched the Social Democrats party along with former independent TD Stephen Donnelly and former Labour Party TD Róisín Shortall.

On 22 February 2023, Murphy and Shortall announced that they would step down as co-leaders of the Social Democrats. They were succeeded by Holly Cairns on 1 March. On 2 July 2024, she and Shortall both announced that they would not contest the next general election.