She is a member of the Sinn Féin Ard chomhairle.[citation needed] She is the party's spokesperson on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands.[2]
Early and personal life
Kerrane is from the village of Tibohine in County Roscommon. She was raised on a farm. She has said there was no history of republicanism in her family: her mother is English and her paternal grandfather was a "staunch Fine Gael activist". She joined Sinn Féin during a dispute over plans to build an anaerobic digestion plant in her area, when she became involved in an action group against the project.[3]
Kerrane joined Ógra Shinn Féin at the age of 15 and was a Sinn Féin organiser at NUI Galway (NUIG) during her time as a university student there studying English, Sociology and Politics.[2][3] She was still a student at NUIG when she became a parliamentary assistant to independent TD Luke 'Ming' Flanagan on his election to the Dáil at the 2011 general election.[2] Later she became a political adviser on social protection for Sinn Féin in Leinster House. Flanagan endorsed her as a candidate at the 2020 general election.[4]
In 2016 Kerrane qualified as a secondary school teacher.[3]
References
^"Claire Kerrane". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
^ abcHealy, Paul (August 2019). "On a Claire Day". Roscommon People Plus. pp. 50–53. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
^"Claire Kerrane". Sinn Féin. Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
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