Verona Murphy

After being de-selected by Fine Gael, she stood and was elected as an independent TD at the 2020 and 2024 general elections. One of 11 children, Murphy was born and raised in Ramsgrange by parents who were farmers and livestock dealers. She dropped out of school at 15, before moving to England, where she worked at a Vauxhall Motors factory by day and a McDonald's franchise by night. She then returned to Ireland and bought her first truck and trailer at the age of 21. She later returned to education, doing her Leaving Certificate at 35 and graduating with a BA in law from Institute of Technology, Carlow. Murphy ran a haulage firm, Drumur Transport, with her partner Joseph Druhan. The business closed in 2021. She was elected as the president of the Irish Road Haulage Association in 2015, the second woman to hold the position.