Laura Harmon

Laura Harmon (born 26 November 1986) She was a member of Cork City Council for the South West area from June 2024 to January 2025.

She is the leader of the Centre-Left Cross-Party group in Seanad Éireann with Labour colleague Nessa Cosgrove, Malcom Noonan from the Green Party and Patricia Stephenson from the Social Democrats. Senator Harmon was appointed Labour's spokesperson for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and for Disability.

She is a former president of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI). She was the first woman to fill the role in twenty years. In 2018, Harmon was mobilisation team lead for the Together For Yes campaign to repeal the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland.

Political activism A graduate of University College Cork, Harmon served as vice-president for Equality and Citizenship of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) from 2012 to 2014. While in this role she co-signed a letter sent to Russia's ambassador to Ireland Maxim Peshkov, titled "Re: Torture of Russian LGBTQ* teenagers".

Harmon became president of the USI and, in what was described as an "unprecedented move", USI endorsed her 2016 candidacy for the Seanad. During her tenure as USI president, Harmon played a prominent role in the campaign to legalise same-sex marriage. She was also a board member of the Higher Education Authority (2014–2015)

Harmon has campaigned for people with disabilities, access to education, and for survivors of institutional abuse.

She has published the Prohibition of Advertising or Importuning Sex for Rent Bill 2025 that would ban sex for rent advertisements in Ireland. Harmon has also drafted the Education (Personal Injuries) Bill 2025 to amend and extend assault leave for teachers and SNAs in Ireland.

Electoral record Harmon was an independent candidate for the National University of Ireland (NUI) constituency at the 2016 Seanad election.

Personal life Laura Harmon is the eldest of five daughters born in the Gaeltacht of Ballyvourney, County Cork. She is openly gay. She was educated through Irish and lives in Cork city.