Órfhlaith Acife Begley[1] was born on 19 December 1991 in Carrickmore, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.[2] She is the daughter of former Sinn Féin Omagh District Council chairman Seán Begley.[3] Begley grew up in Carrickmore, and played Gaelic football at the local club.[4] She studied Law and Politics at the Queen's University Belfast.[5] She then studied at the Institute of Professional and Legal Studies, graduating as a solicitor. Begley then worked as a solicitor in Portadown, County Armagh with her brother.[4]
Political career
Begley was selected as the Sinn Féin candidate for West Tyrone in the 2018 West Tyrone by-election on 26 February. The by-election had been called following the resignation of the previous Sinn Féin MP Barry McElduff on 15 January.[3] She was elected with a majority of 7,956.[6] Begley was the first female MP to represent the constituency since it was created in 1997.[5] She held the seat in the 2019 general election with a majority of 7,478.[7] She does not sit in the House of Commons, given her party's long-standing policy of abstentionism.[5]
Personal life
Begley became engaged to engineer Conor Carson in February 2021, and they married on 29 December 2022 in Carrickmore.[8][9]