Fine Gael's Josepha Madigan: 'I didn't expect my marriage to end' 

She separated from her husband earlier this year after 21 years of marriage.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Irish Examiner, Ms Madigan outlined why she believes she would excel as an MEP and how she has coped through what has been a personally difficult year.

“I didn't know this year that my marriage was going to be over. 

"That's not to say that that's not the right decision. 

I think there's a bright future for me, I think there's a bright future for my husband and my children. I think our main priority for both myself and my former husband is to make sure that our sons are looked after. My youngest son is doing his Leaving Cert, my eldest son is in college so they're our priority at the moment.

While a backbench TD in 2016, Ms Madigan introduced a private member’s Bill for a referendum to reduce waiting times for divorce. 

Three years later, and while she was a cabinet minister, the country voted overwhelmingly in favour of liberalising divorce laws.

Ms Madigan said she and her former husband are trying to keep the process as “amicable” as they possibly can.

She said: “I think, you know, for me, I was practicing as a family lawyer for 20 years and now I'm on the other side of the desk, and I'm benefiting from my own divorce referendum which is slightly ironic, but I'm very glad now that I managed to bring it back to the Irish people and get that law changed.

“So I mean, two years to apply for divorce is so much better than four years and I can see that now firsthand, in a really real way,” she said.

Ms Madigan said it was never going to be easy telling her two sons that their parents were separating but said she is grateful that they are both adults and have an understanding that “sometimes things don't work out and they are very much loved by both of us”.

She said her Fine Gael party colleagues, particularly Taoiseach Leo Varadkar have been "fantastic" in terms of supporting her since the marriage breakdown in April.

She said: “I think you never know what a person is going through.

“You can make assumptions about them that aren't correct and not everybody wants to share their private life. 

"I think particularly for people in the public eye, it can be particularly difficult but having said that, I think work can be a saving grace in those circumstances — it gives you something to focus on and I think probably one of my best characteristics is the fact that I'm resilient.”

Ms Madigan said running, going to the gym, chocolate, and spending time with friends has helped her through the difficult period.

She said: “One thing that really struck me is how important your girl friends are. And often we can take them for granted, particularly when you're married and I was married for 21 years and it's only when something big happens in your life that you realise there's a sister bond on there that’s just so crucial and they have kept me going in so many ways,” she added.

Seeking nomination

Ms Madigan is to seek her party’s nomination to run for Europe in next June’s parliament elections.

The party will be hoping to retain the seat in Dublin which will be vacated by Frances Fitzgerald who is retiring. 

Ms Madigan has said she wants to become an MEP at a “really challenging time” for Europe. 

She said she believes her legal background, being fluent in languages such as French and German, and her mediation experience would be beneficial in Brussels. 

However, she is aware she has a fight on her hands as it will be a “tough” convention. 

Other Fine Gael figures such as Senator Regina Doherty are interested as well as Senator Barry Ward and Dublin South West TD Colm Brophy who are also said to be considering seeking the nomination in Dublin.

The junior minister said if she is not successful in the European elections, she would run again in the general election to retain her seat as a TD in Dublin Rathdown.

She said she is not convinced that politics is a lifelong career for people in a way that it previously was, when asked about a high number of Fine Gael TDs deciding not to seek reelection.

She is supportive of the Taoiseach’s decision not to consider the possibility of going into government with Sinn Féin in the future and said she thinks the electorate "respect" Fine Gael to navigate the country through difficult periods such as covid and Brexit.