Kate O’Connell’s Fine Gael return continues with sister appointed to Cabinet adviser job

The return of Kate O’Connell and her family into Fine Gael continues with the appointment of her sister as a Government adviser.

Theresa Newman has been appointed as a special adviser to recently promoted Higher Education Minister Patrick O’Donovan.

Ms Newman is to be seconded from the Office of Public Works (OPW) to be a special adviser for the Limerick TD.

As civil servant in the OPW communications division, Ms Newman worked closely with Mr O’Donovan while he was minister of State for the agency. She worked as a parliamentary adviser and election campaign director for her sister during her time in Leinster House. She is also the wife of Sunday Times Ireland political editor Hugh O’Connell.

The move comes soon after Ms O’Connell returned to the Fine Gael fold by appearing at last weekend’s ard fheis in the University of Galway. A third sister, Mary Newman, who accompanied Ms O’Connell to the ard fheis, previously ran as a Fine Gael candidate in Tipperary but has since returned to work as a vet.

Speaking at the ard fheis, Ms O’Connell said it would be up to Mr Harris to decide if he wants her to run in any future elections.

“Today is about Fine Gael people coming together to celebrate a new leader, it is about a positive slant on the day, it’s not about me. I want to do whatever I can for Fine Gael to keep Fine Gael in Government,” she said

The former Dublin Bay South TD said Fine Gael has gone through a “period of inertia” but she now believes Mr Harris will help revive the party.

She described the departure of Leo Varadkar as Fine Gael leader as the “end of a dark enough chapter in my life and the start of perhaps something new”. Mr Varadkar responded saying he wished Ms O’Connell “nothing but the best in her life”.

Ms O’Connell’s description of Mr Varadkar’s supporters as “choir boys” during the Fine Gael leadership campaign put her at odds with the former Taoiseach and his team after he succeeded Enda Kenny.

She lost her seat after one term in the Dáil and did not put her name forward for a by-election held to fill a seat vacated by former Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy.

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