When Verona Murphy was elected to the Dáil in February 2020, she became only the second-ever female TD to represent Wexford.
She has had a circuitous route to the Dáil. Originally from a farming family, she left school at 14 before returning to do her Leaving Certificate at 35. She then earned a law degree.
Murphy opened up a transport company with her partner and in 2015 became president of the Irish Road Haulage Association.
This brought her to the attention of Fine Gael. The party believed Murphy's local popularity and prominent national role would make her an ideal candidate for the by-election in Wexford in November 2019.
During the campaign Murphy made comments linking migrants to terrorist groups and suggesting they had to be deprogrammed.
Fine Gael distanced themselves from their candidate and after she failed to get elected she was deselected as a candidate by the party. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, previously one of her biggest cheerleaders, said he was glad she was not elected.
She opted to run as an independent in the general election and finished in third place, well ahead of expectations.
