Career
She was a Teachta Dála (Territorial Decoration) for 16 years and served briefly as a junior minister in her first year in Dáil Éireann. This was a junior post under Minister Eileen Desmond, but because Desmond"s health was poor Flaherty often found herself in the firing line. The government collapsed on 27 January 1982 when it lost a vote on the budget, and Flaherty left office when the new Fianna Fáil government was installed after the February 1982 general election.
She later described her rapid promotion as having caused a lot of bad feeling among amongst older TDs who resented the rise of a 28-year-old woman.
Flaherty had been re-elected to the 23rd Dáil, and retained her seat through the next four general elections before losing it at the 1997 general election to Fianna Fáil"s Pat Carey. After leaving the Dáil, she took up a part time job with The CARI Foundation, which supports abused children.
