Who is Verona Murphy? The Isis controversy, Wexford poll topper, first female Ceann Comhairle
James Cox
Verona Murphy made history on Wednesday as she was elected the first female Ceann Comhairle for the 34th Dáil.
So who is the Wexford Independent TD?
Business career
Ms Murphy was a successful businesswoman and haulage company owner before entering politics. She was elected president of the Irish Road Haulage Association in 2015, and was widely respected in the industry.
Failed by-election bid marred by Isis comments
After Mick Wallace was elected to the European Parliament in 2019 and a by-election called in Wexford, Ms Murphy was selected as the Fine Gael candidate.
She was backed by the party and then-taoiseach Leo Varadkar was full of praise for her, campaigning with Ms Murphy early on.
However, her campaign unravelled after controversial comments about asylum seekers.
She claimed some asylum seekers arriving in Ireland need to be “de-programmed” as they may have been influenced by Islamic State. She also said: "We also have to take into account the possibility that Isis have already manipulated children as young as three or four.”
Fianna Fáil's Malcolm Byrne won the by-election, and despite apologising for her comments, Ms Murphy's relationship with Fine Gael was broken and she subsequently pursued a career as an Independent politician.
2020 success
Ms Murphy built up her support base in Wexford, and won a seat in the 2020 general election.
She was a frequent critic of the Coalition government in the past four years, often clashing with Micheál Martin, Simon Harris, and other Cabinet figures in the Dáil.
History-maker and kingmaker?
Ms Murphy is the first female Ceann Comhairle and the first representative from Wexford to hold the prestigious role.
It marks an impressive political comeback since her by-election defeat in 2019.
The Ceann Comhairle is elected by secret ballot, and Ms Murphy had been backed by Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tánaiste Micheál Martin.
Her election could be crucial for the formation of the next government as it is seen as the first step in a deal between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Regional Independent Group.
The Regional Independent Group is made up of Michael Lowry, Sean Canney, Kevin 'Boxer' Moran, Noel Grealish, Marian Harkin, Barry Heneghan, Gillian Toole and Verona Murphy.