Kathleen O'Meara

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Kathleen O'Meara (born 1960) is an Irish politician and member of the 21st and 22nd Seanads for the Labour Party in the Republic of Ireland. On both occasions she was elected by the Agricultural Panel.

A triplet, and the identical twin of journalist Aileen O'Meara, she is a graduate of Dublin City University. Before entering politics, she was an RTÉ journalist.

At the 1997 general election, O'Meara was an unsuccessful candidate for the 28th Dáil in the constituency of Tipperary North. In 1999, she was elected to Nenagh Town Council.^[1] She was a candidate again for Dáil Éireann at the 2002 election, increasing her share of the vote from 10.3% to 13.5%, but again failing to be elected to the 29th Dáil.^[1]

O'Meara was embroiled in controversy in 2005, when it was revealed in the Sunday Tribune^[2] and The Phoenix^[3]^[4] that she had used the facilities of Dáil Éireann to hold meetings^[5] to promote Landmark Education, an organisation which the French Government has described as 'Cult like'. She continues to lead introductory meetings despite the controversy. Former Labour Leader Ruairi Quinn and Fianna Fáil controversial TD Jim McDaid have both taken part in Landmark courses. One of the Labour Councillors on the Town Council in Nenagh, Sandra Farrell, is also involved with the Landmark Forum.

[edit] External links

Kathleen O'Meara's page on the Labour Party website

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b ElectionsIreland.org: Kathleen O'Meara
^ Sunday Tribune, article about Kathleen O'Meara and involvement in Landmark Education, July 30, 2005
^ Politics.ie, "Landmark" and Kathleen O'Meara.
^ The Phoenix (magazine), article on Landmark Education and Labour Front influences, August 16, 2005
(paraphrasing): "The Phoenix has no evidence that suggests that any other Labour front benchers are involved in Landmark, and it appears that the cult-like Stickies are the only people exerting mind-control on the party"[1]
^ North Tipperary in 2007 election., The Dossing Times, March 15, 2006.
"Kathleen O’Meara of Labour came fifth in the election in 2002 and is also a senator and sits on the agricultural panel. She was an RTE journalist. She is a triplet, and the identical twin of journalist, Aileen O'Meara. In 2005 she was involved in a controversy of using facilities of Dáil Éireann to hold meetings to promote Landmark Education. The Landmark Education is an organisation which the French Government has described as 'Cult like' and has been said by some people to brain wash people. Others dispute this. 2007 will be her third attempt at a seat. She got 5,537 votes last time."