Ken O'Flynn

Kenneth Noel O'Flynn (born 1978/1979) is an Irish Independent Ireland politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork North-Central constituency since the 2024 general election. O'Flynn was previously a member of Cork City Council between 2008 and 2024.

Career Local politics Fianna Fáil (2008–2020) O'Flynn became a Fianna Fáil councillor in 2008 after being co-opted, when his brother Gary O'Flynn resigned. In June 2017, O'Flynn revealed that he owned 42 flats in London's Docklands as part of his annual declaration of interests.

Independent (2020–2024) Ken O'Flynn remained with Fianna Fáil for 16 years until his resignation in January 2020. O'Flynn quit Fianna Fáil after the party did not select him to run in the Cork North-Central constituency at the 2020 Irish general election. O'Flynn instead ran as an independent candidate and missed out on a seat, losing in the last count to Mick Barry.

In August 2021, O'Flynn faced criticism for a misleading Facebook post in which he called for "checks and balances" on refugees fleeing Afghanistan amidst the Taliban's resurgence. The post included a photograph of a plane crowded with Afghan men, which O'Flynn claimed depicted a "flight coming in from Afghanistan." However, the image was later revealed to have been taken in 2018 and was related to Afghan deportees from Turkey, not recent refugee arrivals. While admitting the error was "an honest mistake", O'Flynn defended his stance on asylum security, and dismissed critics as "snowflakes." The image had previously also been shared with similar commentary by former Breitbart contributor Dave Atherton, suggesting it influenced O'Flynn's post.

Independent Ireland Following a period as an independent, O'Flynn joined Independent Ireland in March 2024.

In May 2024 O'Flynn was one of three city councillors to vote against a €18m Traveller housing scheme for the Spring Lane halting site in Ballyvolane.

In May 2024, an investigation by the Echo found that O'Flynn had the lowest attendance of any Cork County Councillor between 2019 and 2023 and that O'Flynn's attendance was so low he was not eligible to make full expenses claims. O'Flynn defended his record by noting he ran a business and was also busy "listening to constituents".

Following his re-election to Cork City Council in June 2024, O'Flynn expressed his concerns about immigration, advocating for stricter controls on people coming into Ireland. He described immigration as a "serious problem" for the country. O'Flynn stated that while he did not oppose foreign people coming to Ireland, he was critical of individuals entering the country without proper documentation, such as those who "tear up their passports." O'Flynn suggest that a government that was not able to fix the homeless crisis would not be able to take in large numbers of immigrants. O'Flynn distanced himself from far-right views on the issue, stating his approach was just "common sense".

In November 2024, O'Flynn was elected to the Dáil, and afterwards, he co-opted his local council seat to his 73-year-old retired father, Noel. Noel O'Flynn joined Independent Ireland as part of the process.

In February 2025, O'Flynn stated that Ireland had taken in asylum seekers "to the detriment of our own people" and claimed that "hotel rooms can be found overnight for asylum seekers" but not for Irish citizens.

In June 2026, O'Flynn was reported to have submitted an extremely high number of parliamentary questions to the Department of Health, with concerns raised that they were being generated using AI. The allegations arose after concerns were raised within the government that the unusually high volume of questions submitted in his name, particularly on mental health, was placing a significant administrative burden on the health service and requiring clinicians to spend time preparing responses. O'Flynn defended his actions and did not deny the use of AI, arguing instead that the key issue was whether the questions were accurate and legitimate. He stated that he personally reviewed and approved every parliamentary question submitted in his name and said he had long relied on assistive technologies because of his dyslexia.

Political views O'Flynn has been classified as ideologically a member of populist right in Ireland. A member of the right-wing Independent Ireland party, O'Flynn has frequently expressed anti-immigration views.

O'Flynn also campaigns against NGOs in Ireland, and has remarked that "At one stage, there were more suicide charities in this country than there were suicides. It might sound funny but it’s not". O'Flynn is a gay man and is married to Francisco Cuevas, a Spanish business analyst who is the son of the Duke of Lora del Rio.