Lisa Chambers Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Senator
Office:Leader of the Seanad
Term Start:17 December 2022
Predecessor:Regina Doherty
Office1:Deputy leader of the Seanad
Taoiseach1:Micheál Martin
Leader1:Regina Doherty
Term Start1:29 June 2020
Term End1:17 December 2022
Predecessor1:Catherine Noone
Successor1:Regina Doherty
Office2:Leader of Fianna Fáil in the Seanad
Term Start2:29 June 2020
Predecessor2:Catherine Ardagh
Office3:Senator
Term Start3:29 June 2020
Constituency3:Cultural and Educational Panel
Office4:Teachta Dála
Term Start4:February 2016
Term End4:February 2020
Constituency4:Mayo
Birth Date:24 August 1986
Birth Place:Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland
Party:Fianna Fáil
Spouse:Jarlath Munnelly
Children:1
Education:St Joseph's Secondary School
Allegiance:Ireland
Branch: Army Reserve
Unit: Cavalry Corps
Serviceyears:2003–2016
Rank: Second lieutenant
Mawards: Service Medal
Centenary Medal

Lisa Chambers (born 24 August 1986) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and barrister who has served as a senator in Seanad Éireann since 2020 and as leader of the Seanad since December 2022. She previously served on Mayo County Council from 2014 to 2016 and as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Mayo constituency from 2016 to 2020. She contested the 2024 European Parliament election as one of three Fianna Fáil candidates in the Midlands–North-West constituency, but did not win a seat.

Early life and military service

Chambers is from Ballyheane, County Mayo, around south of Castlebar.[1] [2] The eldest of five children, she has three sisters and a brother.[3] After attending St Joseph's Secondary School, Castlebar, she earned a degree in Commerce and Law from NUI Galway, a Masters in Commercial Law from University College Dublin, and a bar qualification from the King's Inns.[4] [5] She has practiced as a barrister, having set up her own legal practice in Castlebar.[6]

Chambers was a member of the Reserve Defence Forces for 13 years, having first joined as a teenager. She was commissioned as an officer in the Army Reserve in November 2012, serving as a second lieutenant with the 1st Armoured Cavalry Squadron (Curragh Camp). Shortly afterwards, she transferred to the D Company (Castlebar), 6th Infantry Battalion. She resigned her commission when elected to the Dáil.[7] [8]

She is unrelated to fellow Fianna Fáil politicians Frank Chambers and Jack Chambers.[9] [10]

Political career

2011 general election

Chambers ran at the 2011 general election for the Mayo constituency, but was eliminated on the fifth count.[11] At the time, she was the youngest Fianna Fáil candidate in the country, at age 24.[12] She was described as being part of Micheál Martin's effort to recruit young, progressive politicians and change the elderly, male-dominated image of Fianna Fáil.

Councillor (2014–2016)

Chambers won election to Mayo County Council in the 2014 local elections, recording the second-highest number of votes in the country. She was credited with spearheading the revival of Fianna Fáil in the Castlebar area after the 2012 Mahon Tribunal report had discredited former minister Pádraig Flynn.

TD (2016–2020)

At the 2016 general election, Chambers was elected as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Mayo constituency. On the tenth count, she won the fourth seat in the constituency, after Fine Gael's Enda Kenny and Michael Ring and Fianna Fáil's Dara Calleary.[13] [14] Appointed spokesperson on Defence in the Fianna Fáil Front Bench on 18 May 2016, she succeeded Seán Ó Fearghaíl, who had been elected Ceann Comhairle of the 32nd Dáil.[15] She was later given the Brexit portfolio in a reshuffle.

She failed to win re-election to the Dáil at the 2020 general election, losing a battle for the fourth seat in her constituency to Fine Gael's Alan Dillon.[16] Speaking on Sean O'Rourke's Two Tribes podcast, she attributed the outcome to her support for repealing the Eighth Amendment "in what is predominantly a conservative constituency, particularly among Fianna Fail voters".[17] Elsewhere, she stated that some voters had expressed reservations about electing a TD who would be taking maternity leave, as she had been pregnant during the campaign.[18] However, the Business Post newspaper also attributed the loss of Chambers's seat to controversies around voting irregularities and expense claims.[19]

Senator (2020–present)

At the 2020 Seanad election, Chambers was elected as a Senator for the Cultural and Educational Panel.[20] She is Fianna Fáil's spokesperson on European Affairs in the Seanad.[21] She also chairs the Seanad Special Select Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.[22]

European Parliament election campaign (2024)

In July 2023, Chambers announced her intent to run for the 2024 European Parliament election in the Midlands–North-West constituency.[23] However, at a Fianna Fáil selection convention on 5 February 2024—a three-way contest among Chambers, Laois–Offaly TD Barry Cowen, and senator Niall Blaney from Donegal—she was eliminated on the first count. Cowen won the nomination, narrowly defeating Blaney on the second count.[24] Chambers's team alleged that Cowen's and Blaney’s teams had asked party members not to vote for her, reassuring them that the party would put her on the ticket regardless. Cowen disputed this allegation, claiming that he had simply asked members to choose the best candidate.

On 29 February 2024, Fianna Fáil added both Chambers and Blaney to its Midlands–North-West ticket.[25] Running three candidates in the constituency was described as a "surprise move", given that Fianna Fáil had not had an MEP there since Pat "the Cope" Gallagher lost his seat at the 2014 European Parliament election. Some party members expressed concern that the strategy would split the Fianna Fáil vote.[26] The Journal claimed that the party had always anticipated running Chambers and Cowen but had added Blaney after his strong performance at the selection convention. However, the Business Post called Chambers a "dimming star" within Fianna Fáil, following the loss of her Dáil seat and her poor showing at the selection convention. It quoted a senior Fianna Fáil TD who said the party had added Chambers to the ticket only after Fine Gael incumbent MEP Maria Walsh had called its other candidates "male, pale and stale".

During the campaign, Cowen referred to himself as Fianna Fáil's "lead candidate" in Midlands–North-West. Chambers called this claim "unfounded, dismissive and arrogant", saying: "We have three candidates running in this constituency and no one candidate is being prioritised in any way by the party."[27] She received 44,069 (6.5%) first-preference votes and was eliminated on the 19th count, following the elimination of Blaney. Cowen was the only Fianna Fáil candidate to win a seat in the constituency.[28]

Controversies

Chambers was criticised for claiming, during a 29 November 2018 Dáil debate on the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018, that "Abortion regret is made up and it does not exist".[29] Several days later, she apologised for any hurt she had caused, stating that her comments had been taken out of context.[30]

In October 2019, Chambers became embroiled in controversy over voting irregularities. Shown to have voted on behalf of both party colleague Dara Calleary and herself on a forestry motion amendment, Chambers claimed she had pressed Calleary's voting button by accident.[31] The Oireachtas Committee on Members' Interests later determined that Chambers had "acted in good faith" and had voted "inadvertently". In December, the Sunday Independent highlighted Oireachtas video recordings from 17January 2019 that appeared to show Chambers sitting in Timmy Dooley's seat for fifty minutes while seven votes were recorded; although not visible in the footage, votes were also recorded from her own seat.[32] [33]

Chambers has also faced allegations of expenses fraud. She was among a number of TDs discovered to be claiming a €25 daily allowance for mobile phone roaming charges while travelling in the EU, two years after roaming charges had been abolished. She was found to have claimed a total of €525.[34] In February 2020, she was found to be driving from her home to the Oireachtas along a route that was longer than the shortest possible journey, placing her in "band 9" of the travel allowance table and increasing her annual travel allowance by €1,350. Chambers defended her preferred route as faster, since it avoided a number of small towns.[35] Several months later, she was found to have received expenses of €6,626 for April and May 2020, even though the Seanad was closed at that time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[36]

In 2020, the Irish Independent reported that Chambers had hired two of her sisters as secretarial assistants. She was among three senators reported to have hired family members for taxpayer-funded jobs, a practice described as controversial although not specifically proscribed.[37]

Chambers faced criticism following the March 2024 referendums on Family and Care when she admitted to having voted No in both referendums, despite having been photographed and filmed canvassing for Yes votes.[38] [39] Then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar rebuked Chambers, stating that "If I ask people to vote yes, then I vote yes. If I ask people to vote no, I vote no."[40]

Personal life

In April 2023, Chambers married her long-term partner, Fine Gael politician Jarlath Munnelly, a Mayo county councillor who is also a teacher and youth services coordinator.[41] [42] The couple have one child, who was born in April 2020. After giving birth during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chambers criticised as "barbaric" the restrictions in maternity hospitals that had prevented women from having their partners present during labour and childbirth.[43] [44]

Stalking incident

In May 2024, while Chambers was visiting a relative's home in a rural area near Castlebar, a man in his early 20s was discovered hiding in the bushes outside with his belt removed and several buttons on his trousers undone. Reported to be a member of a rival party, the man had previously engaged Chambers in conversation after she gave a political speech in another county. Gardaí arrested the man on suspicion of stalking and called the incident "sinister and disturbing". Chambers had previously received a handwritten rape threat at her constituency office but the two incidents were not believed to be connected.[45] [46] In a social media post, the National Women's Council of Ireland stated: "The targeting of female politicians is unacceptable. This cannot be tolerated, for either the sake of the women targeted or for the power of democracy. We send support and solidarity to Lisa Chambers.”[47]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 12 August 2011 . Chambers' new role a key part of Fianna Fáil renewal in Castlebar — Martin . 25 May 2024 . Mayo Advertiser.
  2. Web site: Flynn . Anna Marie . McNulty . Anton . 8 February 2011 . Chambers 'proud and honoured' to join FF ticket . 25 May 2024 . . en.
  3. I ran in my first election in 2011, and it's been an incredible journey since: Lisa Chambers . Chambers . Lisa . Video . en . 28 May 2024 . Facebook.
  4. Web site: About . Lisa Chambers . 20 May 2016. 16 June 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160616073506/http://lisachambers.ie/about/ . live.
  5. News: Flynn . Anne Marie . McNulty . Anton . 8 February 2011 . Chambers 'proud and honoured' to join FF ticket . The Mayo News . 20 May 2016 . 5 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160605015656/http://www.mayonews.ie/?option=com_content&view=article&id=11919:chambers-proud-and-honoured-to-join-ff-ticket . live.
  6. Web site: 19 March 2019 . Profile: Lisa Chambers TD . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240524223702/https://www.eolasmagazine.ie/profile-lisa-chambers-td/ . 24 May 2024 . 24 May 2024 . Eolas Magazine . en.
  7. News: McQuinn . Cormac . 10 March 2016 . Meet your 52 new TDs: lawyers, teachers, a techno DJ . Irish Independent . 21 March 2016 . 30 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160330013706/http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/election-2016/meet-your-52-new-tds-lawyers-teachers-a-techno-dj-34527278.html . live.
  8. News: O'Connell . Hugh . 16 March 2016 . The Fianna Fáil surge: How this new TD upset the odds in Enda's backyard . The Journal . 21 March 2016 . 21 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160321212303/http://www.thejournal.ie/fianna-fail-fine-gael-mayo-2660264-Mar2016/ . live.
  9. News: 25 March 2015 . Lisa i have not quit fianna fil [sic] ]. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190226111157/https://www.con-telegraph.ie/news/roundup/articles/2015/03/25/4036585-lisa-i-have-not-quit-fianna-fil/ . 26 February 2019 . 15 March 2016 . The Connaught Telegraph . This is a different lady and is not a relation of mine. ... She is the daughter of former Fianna Fáil Senator Frank Chambers.
  10. News: Dillon . Fiona . March 2016 . 'I will get my hair cut when I get a chance' – Fianna Fail TD Jack Chambers on social media abuse . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160308182448/http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/i-will-get-my-hair-cut-when-i-get-a-chance-fianna-fail-td-jack-chambers-on-social-media-abuse-34520131.html . 8 March 2016 . 8 March 2016 . Irish Independent . One of the other new Fianna Fail TDs to be elected under the age of 30 is Lisa Chambers (29) from Castlebar, but they are not directly related, even though they would both have some family roots in the town of Newport..
  11. Web site: Lisa Chambers . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190226172901/https://www.electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?id=8581 . 26 February 2019 . 25 February 2019 . Elections Ireland.
  12. News: Murtagh . Peter . 28 February 2016 . Profile: Lisa Chambers (FF) . 24 May 2024 . . en . 24 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240524223704/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/profile-lisa-chambers-ff-1.2552872 . live .
  13. Web site: MacGuill . Dan . 4 March 2016 . Fianna Fáil are back, and they're no longer 'male, stale and outside the Pale' . 25 May 2024. TheJournal.ie . en . 25 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210625161203/https://www.thejournal.ie/fianna-fail-election-2016-performance-analysis-ge16-2634557-Mar2016/ . live .
  14. Web site: 28 February 2016 . Election 2016: Chambers . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160301004643/http://www.rte.ie/news/election-2016/candidates/754381-lisa-chambers/ . 1 March 2016 . 29 February 2016 . RTÉ.
  15. News: New Mayo TD Lisa is in FF's shadow cabinet . The Connaught Telegraph . 18 May 2016 . 19 May 2016 . 19 May 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160519104419/http://www.con-telegraph.ie/news/roundup/articles/2016/05/18/4119996-new-mayo-td-lisa-is-in-ffs-shadow-cabinet/ . live.
  16. Web site: Quann . Jack . 10 February 2020 . Lisa Chambers loses Fianna Fáil seat in Mayo to former footballer . 27 May 2024 . Newstalk . en.
  17. Web site: 22 December 2022 . Two Tribes podcast extended interview with Lisa Chambers . 7 January 2023 . RTE Podcasts . 7 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230107200342/https://www.rte.ie/radio/podcasts/22186049-lisa-chambers/ . live .
  18. News: O'Halloran . Marie . 16 February 2020 . Life as a female TD: 'If I had a euro for every time I've been called the C word' . 25 May 2024 . . en.
  19. Web site: Thomas . Conal . 10 February 2024 . A dimming star? Lisa Chambers' election setback raises questions over senator's appeal . 24 May 2024 . . en . 24 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240524223703/https://www.businesspost.ie/news/a-dimming-star-lisa-chambers-election-setback-raises-questions-over-senators-appeal/ . live .
  20. Web site: Seanad general election 2020 . Oireachtas . 31 March 2020 . 12 February 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200212211240/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/elections/seanad-general-election-2020/#panels . live.
  21. Web site: Lisa Chambers . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201128200732/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Lisa-Chambers.D.2016-10-03/ . 28 November 2020 . 25 February 2019 . Oireachtas Members Database.
  22. Web site: Houses of the Oireachtas . 8 July 2021 . Seanad Brexit Committee launches its 'Interim Report on the Impacts of Brexit' – 8 Jul 2021, 11.14 – Houses of the Oireachtas . Oireachtas . en-IE . 8 October 2021 . 9 October 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211009133637/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/press-centre/press-releases/20210708-seanad-brexit-committee-launches-its-interim-report-on-the-impacts-of-brexit/ . live .
  23. Web site: 5 July 2023 . Lisa Chambers considers run for European Parliament, with one caveat . 25 May 2024 . Connaught Telegraph . en.
  24. News: Barry Cowen narrowly selected as Fianna Fáil European election candidate in keenly contested convention . 10 February 2024. The Irish Times . en . 10 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240210154310/https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2024/02/05/barry-cowen-narrowly-selected-as-fianna-fail-european-election-candidate-in-keenly-contested-convention/ . live .
  25. News: Fianna Fáil to run two senators with Barry Cowen in shock Euro elections move . Hugh . O'Connell . 29 February 2024 . 29 February 2024 . . 29 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240229154724/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/fianna-fail-to-run-two-senators-with-barry-cowen-in-shock-euro-elections-move/a1842602629.html . live .
  26. Web site: Finn . Christina . 1 March 2024. 'No point whinging': Cowen 'accepts' surprise decision to add two candidates to his election ticket . 25 May 2024. TheJournal.ie . en.
  27. Web site: Gataveckaite . Gabija . 19 May 2024 . Fianna Fáil in-fighting continues as Lisa Chambers criticises 'dismissive and arrogant' Barry Cowen comments . 24 May 2024 . Irish Independent . en . 25 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240525011952/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/fianna-fail-in-fighting-continues-as-lisa-chambers-criticises-dismissive-and-arrogant-barry-cowen-comments/a1742548966.html . live .
  28. News: European election results: All Irish MEPs elected as final four seats decided in Midlands-North-West . 15 June 2024 . The Irish Times . en.
  29. Web site: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Report Stage (Resumed). Oireachtas. 29 November 2018. 10 September 2021. 19 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210719224109/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2018-11-29/37/. live.
  30. Web site: McQuinn . Cormac . 2 December 2018 . Chambers apologises for 'hurt' over remark on abortion regret . Irish Independent . 10 September 2021 . 20 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210820170914/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/chambers-apologises-for-hurt-over-remark-on-abortion-regret-37585756.html . live.
  31. News: Kelly . Fiach . 20 October 2019 . Fianna Fáil's Lisa Chambers voted for Dara Calleary after sitting 'in wrong seat' . The Irish Times . 27 September 2021 . 29 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201129123222/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/fianna-f%C3%A1il-s-lisa-chambers-voted-for-dara-calleary-after-sitting-in-wrong-seat-1.4057228 . live.
  32. Web site: Ryan . Philip . Sheahan . Fionnan . 15 December 2019 . New footage shows Lisa Chambers in Timmy Dooley's Dail seat during seven votes . Irish Independent . 10 September 2021 . 20 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210820170916/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/new-footage-shows-lisa-chambers-in-timmy-dooleys-dail-seat-during-seven-votes-38786021.html . live.
  33. Web site: O'Connell . Hugh . McQuinn . Cormac . 24 October 2019 . Lisa Chambers tells 'votegate' inquiry she didn't think double-vote was a massive issue . Irish Independent . 10 September 2021 . 20 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210820170918/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/lisa-chambers-tells-votegate-inquiry-she-didnt-think-double-vote-was-a-massive-issue-38627494.html. live.
  34. Web site: Foxe . Ken . 12 January 2020 . Politicians still claiming €25-a-day allowance for scrapped phone fees . Extra.ie . 10 September 2021 . 20 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210820170915/https://extra.ie/2020/01/12/news/irish-news/politicians-phone-allowance-fee . live.
  35. Web site: McDonagh . Darragh . 8 February 2020 . 'This is the quickest route' — FF's Lisa Chambers defends travel expenses claim . Extra.ie . 10 September 2021 . 20 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210820175728/https://extra.ie/2020/02/08/news/politics/ffs-lisa-chambers-dail-journey . live.
  36. Web site: Two Mayo Senators receive over €6,000 expenses for April & May - even though Seanad was closed . MidWest Radio . 12 August 2020 . 10 September 2021 . 20 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210820170916/https://www.midwestradio.ie/index.php/news/40597-two-mayo-senators-receive-over-6-000-expenses-for-april-may-even-though-seanad-was-closed . live.
  37. Web site: McQuinn . Cormac . 2020-06-24 . High-profile ex-TD Lisa Chambers among senators who hired family members for taxpayer-funded jobs . 2024-06-18 . . en.
  38. News: Lehane . Mícheál . 11 March 2024 . Chambers confirms she canvassed for Yes once but voted No . 12 March 2024. . 12 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240312141806/https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2024/0311/1437260-odea-referendums/ . live .
  39. Web site: McGovern . Oisin . 12 March 2024 . Mayo Senator canvassed for 'Yes' vote despite voting 'No' in referendums . 12 March 2024 . . en . 12 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240312115827/https://www.mayonews.ie/news/elections/1446922/mayo-senator-canvassed-for-yes-vote-despite-voting-no-in-referendums.html . live .
  40. Web site: Hosford . Paul . Loughlin . Elaine . 12 March 2024 . Coalition partners angered by Fianna Fáil distancing from referendum defeats . 27 May 2024 . Irish Examiner . en.
  41. Web site: 2 May 2023 . Mayo senator shares photographs of her wedding day . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240524182453/https://www.con-telegraph.ie/2023/05/02/mayo-senator-shares-photographs-of-her-wedding-day/ . 24 May 2024 . 24 May 2024 . Connaught Telegraph . en.
  42. News: Lord . Miriam . 28 January 2023 . Miriam Lord's Week: Love is in the air in Seanad as politicians tie themselves in knots . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230328153553/https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2023/01/28/miriam-lords-week-love-is-in-the-air-but-so-is-simplistic-low-brow-and-unintelligent-talk-about-wind-apparently/ . 28 March 2023 . 24 May 2024 . The Irish Times . en.
  43. Web site: 7 May 2021 . Maternity hospital restrictions 'barbaric' and traumatic for couples, Fianna Fáil's Lisa Chambers tells Seanad . 24 May 2024 . Irish Independent . en . 24 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240524182448/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/maternity-hospital-restrictions-barbaric-and-traumatic-for-couples-fianna-fails-lisa-chambers-tells-seanad/40399224.html . live .
  44. Web site: Phelan . Ciara . 20 December 2021. Lisa Chambers opens up on mental health impact of maternity Covid restrictions . 24 May 2024 . Irish Mirror . en . 24 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240524182449/https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/lisa-chambers-opens-up-mental-25724178 . live .
  45. Web site: Murray . Eavan . 10 May 2024 . Man arrested over 'sinister' stalking of Fianna Fáil senator and Euro candidate Lisa Chambers . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240522091255/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/man-arrested-over-sinister-stalking-of-fianna-fail-senator-and-euro-candidate-lisa-chambers/a1455204927.html . 22 May 2024 . 24 May 2024 . Irish Independent . en.
  46. Web site: 2024-05-10 . Man arrested over alleged stalking of Mayo politician . 2024-06-20 . Connaught Telegraph . en-US.
  47. Web site: Finn . Christina . 2024-05-10 . Man arrested on suspicion of stalking Fianna Fáil Senator Lisa Chambers . 2024-06-20 . TheJournal.ie . en.

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