Born in Chicago, Illinois, Kathy Sinnott has been a regular contributor to the political debate in Cork for many years now.

She originally came to Ireland in 1970 and her interest in politics stems from her involvement in campaigning for the rights of the disabled and in particular her own son.

Her early career as a disability rights campaigner brought her into regular contact with politicians and it was this experience that motivated her to get directly involved in politics herself.

"We tried everything in those days," she says, "We lobbied, we fundraised, we held press conferences but in the end we weren't getting anywhere. The politicians would say the right things, and then things might change a small bit for a while but we'd end up back where we started eventually. That's when I decided that if I really wanted to make a difference I'd have to become a politician myself."

Her involvement in disability campaigning continued and she was central to the establishment of the Hope Foundation in 1996, a support charity for people dealing with autism of which she is still secretary.

"I had always been interested in politics," she says, "but being a politician was something I had never even considered. It was really politics that chose me in the end".

According to Kathy her decision to stand for election did not happen overnight. The constant struggle as she describes it, campaigning for the rights of those with disabilities gradually brought her around to the idea.

"We were getting to the High Court, then the Supreme Court and we saw some improvements. Then after a while those who had control of the money or the policy would gradually revert back to the old ways. I thought then that maybe if I was part of that process I could change things from the inside rather than constantly trying to influence things from the outside".

In 2002 her political career began in earnest and it was certainly no easy ride for Kathy starting from scratch in the ultra-competitive environment of a general election.

She stood as an independent in the Cork South Central constituency, which turned out to be one of the closest contests in the country. In her first attempt she came incredibly close to taking a seat in the Dáil eventually losing out by a handful of votes on a recount.

The experience strengthened her resolve and Kathy's determination to make it into elected office eventually paid off. There was further disappointment in 2002 when she failed to gain election to the Seanad when she stood on the Labour Panel but by 2004 she was ready to contest the Ireland South European constituency.

So, in a relatively short time after entering politics, Kathy Sinnott became Kathy Sinnott MEP. She took the third seat in Ireland South with 89,127 votes representing just over 18 per cent of votes cast. No mean feat for an independent in a field of ten candidates.