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MEP Sean Kelly for Ireland South with Parliamentary assistants Jennifer O’Sullivan, Mitchelstown; Laura Norton, Tarbert, Co. Kerry and Clare Corkery, Blackrock, Cork.

By Jennifer O'Sullivan BCLG (Law & German)

At a time when economic blunders, political slander, social unrest and injustice dominate our news headlines and lunchtime conversation topics, news of Irish success stories in the realms of European politics can only come as a reminder of the respect for Irish representatives abroad and their efforts to restore credibility and reliability of the Irish economy abroad.

One such example is that of MEP for Ireland South: Sean Kelly. Most people are aware of Sean’s lively pre-political existence, however I am sure there are some who are unaware of the impact he has made as an Irish MEP in the European Parliament.

I first met Sean in 2011 as a Law and German student of University College Cork, where he gave a speech about his activities in Parliament and as to his beloved use of the Irish language in the European arena. Inspired by his words, I made contact with Sean again during my obligatory year abroad in Erlangen Germany and proposed that I would like to work with him in Parliament given the relative proximity of Brussels and Strasbourg to south Germany. He thankfully accepted my offer and invited me to join him at the Plenary session of the European Parliament held once monthly in Strasbourg France.

For six months, I made the journey from Erlangen Germany to Strasbourg France to spend a week assisting Sean in Parliament along with other colleagues, who were studying in Strasbourg. With anticipation and a healthy fear of the unknown, I began my time in Parliament, proud to be representing Ireland in Europe.

If I could sum up my time in Parliament as part of Sean's team(!), it would have to be: enjoyable. Daily, as assistants, we were faced with interesting and challenging tasks which took us considerably out of our comfort zones and into the world of political oratory, European policy and the Irish part therein. We met countless other MEPs and members of interested lobby groups who often came to Parliament to voice their concerns over forthcoming legislation or issues facing their industries or geographical areas.

Given Sean's position as the Industry Committee Rapporteur on Data Protection for the EPP Group, we were constantly exposed to experts in the field of data protection- which for us as prospective lawyers was naturally a very engaging experience. I was lucky in that one such expert whom we met in Strasbourg, invited me to Berlin to assist the German Publishers Association with an English version of a proposal they were drafting for the EU Commission.

At the EU Commission, just this past month; Sean Kelly has been awarded MEP of the Year 2014 for the Digital Agenda. I cannot think of a better way to mark the last few years of Sean’s Trojan efforts in the area of Data Protection policy at EU level. Working with him exposed me to his professionalism in his political work-especially data protection and promoting native Irish industries and areas, his love for the Irish language and a can-do attitude regardless of the situation or challenge he was faced with.

To conclude, European politics for me is real old-school politics on naturally a far grander scale than domestic politics in terms of legislative matter, population, areas of competence and representation. However, it impacts us all as European citizens in a way I believe, we haven’t fully comprehended in Ireland as some of our counterparts Europe have. If we could take, as an example, the stellar performance of Sean Kelly in Europe and other Irish politicians like him, setting a positive powerful precedent abroad, in my opinion is one of the valuable means of attracting foreign investment into Ireland and also actively influencing how we conduct political affairs from within.

(Jennifer O'Sullivan BCLG (Law & German) is a native of Ballyarthur, Mitchelstown)

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