Patricia McKenna

Patricia McKenna (born 13 March 1957) is an Irish independent politician. She served as a Green Party Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Dublin constituency from 1994 to 2004.

Background

A native of Castleshane, a small village in County Monaghan, McKenna was formerly a member of the Green Party. She became the first Green Party candidate in Ireland to be elected to the European Parliament. She was elected to the European Parliament at the 1994 election and was re-elected at the 1999 election but lost her seat at the 2004 election. She acted as one of the Dáil advisers to Ireland's first Green Party Teachta Dála (TD), Roger Garland. In 1997 she called for a boycott of Dunnes Stores when it was reported to be selling clothes produced in a state-run factory in Burma.

A former teacher, she is active in People's Movement which successfully campaigned for the rejection of the Treaty of Lisbon in 2008.

McKenna has been involved in many campaigns as an MEP and politician. She is perhaps best known for her victory in the Supreme Court in 1995, in which she argued successfully that it was unconstitutional for the Government of Ireland to spend taxpayers money promoting only one side of the argument in referendum campaigns. This led to the setting up of the Referendum Commission.