the show. In 2014, she graduated with a degree in Law and Political Science from Trinity College Dublin. She was called to the Bar in 2016. 2009 European Parliament election In May 2009, after the Bank bail-outs, McKenna announced her intention to run as an Independent candidate at the 2009 European Parliament election in Dublin - attacking her party colleagues as "nothing but hypocrites" due to their role in the coalition government, and that she would be "embarrassed to stand as their candidate". Reactions by former party colleagues to McKenna's departure from the Green Party were mixed. According to Green Party Senator Déirdre de Búrca, "The pity about Patricia McKenna's move is that she did not do it at least a year ago and spare herself and her party colleagues a lot of time-wasting and strife. It has been increasingly clear that she does not share the same views on many issues with Green Party members." McKenna was not elected at the 2009 European Parliament election. She received 17,521 first preference votes (4.3%). She was eliminated at the fifth count, after her former party colleague Déirdre de Búrca, who was eliminated at the third count. In June 2010, she attended meetings with a number of former Green Party members to facilitate the formation of a new political party, Fís Nua. Involvement in the 2016 Brexit referendum In 2016, McKenna campaigned with Green Leaves, an EU critical faction of the Green Party of England and Wales whose members include Baroness Jenny Jones, for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union in the run up to its membership referendum. She argued that the EU is unreformable and criticised its neoliberal policies. Seanad by-election She was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2022 Dublin University by-election, having been eliminated on the seventh count with 463 votes (3.5%). References External links A transcript of a speech against software patents, with a statement from McKenna 1957 births Living people Green Party (Ireland) MEPs Independent politicians in Ireland Irish environmentalists Irish women environmentalists MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 1999–2004 MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 1994–1999 20th-century women MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 21st-century women MEPs for the Republic of Ireland Participants in Irish reality television series Politicians from County Monaghan Irish women activists Alumni of Trinity College Dublin