Beverley Flynn

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Beverley Flynn (b. June 9, 1966), also known as Beverley Cooper Flynn, is an Irish politician, one of five TDs representing the constituency of Mayo. She was first elected to Dáil Éireann in the 1997 general election, as a member of the Fianna Fáil party.

She resigned from the party briefly in 1999, and was expelled in April 2001, in connection with allegations that she had encouraged tax evasion while an employee of National Irish Bank. She was allowed to rejoin FF again after the 2002 election, but was again expelled after losing a libel action on the matter in 2004. A cumann (branch) of the Fianna Fáil party that had continued to support Flynn was disbanded by the party headquarters. She is expected to stand for re-election in the 2007 General Election and may again be successful, a view which is supported by a number of astute political observers in the West who give her a sporting chance of winning the final seat because of her core support in the Castlebar area .

Ms. Flynn is the daughter of former senior Fianna Fáil politician, Padraig Flynn. In 2003, given that her marriage to Mr. Cooper had ended sometime previously, she requested that the media refer to her as Beverley Flynn.

[edit] Libel costs

RTE is to pursue Flynn for the €1.5 million in costs arising from her failed libel action against the station. She alleged that she was libelled in six RTE broadcasts in 1998 which reported that, as an employee of National Irish Bank she had encouraged tax evasion.

She also owes a further substantial sum to James Howard who she also sued unsuccessfully and she has to discharge her own legal costs arising from this case. Flynn would not be eligible to contest the next general election if she were to become bankrupt as a consequence of these claims.^[1].