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Camlough man Conor Murphy has been elected to Seanad Éireann following a marathon count that ran into the early hours of today. The result will see him give up his MLA position at Stormont where he currently is Economy Minister and become a Senator on the Industrial and Commercial Panel in the upper house of the Oireachtas.
It took until the 24th count to elect Senator Murphy with 115,561 votes despite being joint top of the poll along with Sharon Keegan after the first count on 112,000 just 2701 votes short of quota.
Sinn Féin announced in late December 2024 that Mr Murphy would be running for the Seanad. At the time party leader Mary Lou McDonald said “He brings a huge wealth of experience as the party now continues to build our All-Ireland political project. He has been a consistent champion for the All-Ireland economy, infrastructure and connectivity representing a border constituency.
Ms McDonald added "Conor Murphy's candidacy underscores Sinn Féin’s commitment to representing the entire island of Ireland, promoting the All-Ireland economy and advancing the Irish unity debate in the Oireachtas."
The Newry and Armagh MLA has had a long political career north of the border. Starting as a Councillor in 1989 on Newry and Mourne Council as it was known at the time before he was elected to the Stormont Assembly in 1998. He became an MP for Newry and Armagh replacing Seamus Mallon in 2005 and holding the post till 2015 following which he returned to the assembly. While at the Assembly he has been Minister for Regional Development, Finance Minister and Current Economy Minister.
Senator Murphy has stated that he will be resigning from his post at Stormont and his successor is expected to be announced tomorrow 3 February.
