MAIREAD MCGUINNESS HAS taken up a new role as EU Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU.

McGuinness, a longstanding Fine Gael politician in the EU, had her appointment to the role approved today.

Her new post will involve promoting the freedom of religion outside the EU, and falls under the remit of Magnus Brunner, the current commissioner for internal affairs.

Prior to McGuinness’s appointment the position has been vacant for a year. Before this, it was most recently occupied by Frans van Daele, a Belgian diplomat.

McGuinness served as the European Commission for financial services from 2020 to 2024. Prior to this she was an MEP in the European Parliament, having first won a seat in 2004. 

Last year, McGuinness was chosen by Fine Gael as the party’s candidate for the Irish presidential election, but was forced to pull out early due to health issues. 

Months after the election, which saw Independent Catherine Connolly become Ireland’s 10th President, McGuinness opened up about her health difficulties, revealing that she had been diagnosed with severe post-viral syndrome.

Severe post-viral syndrome is a debilitating condition that can occur after an infection. Symptoms include extreme fatigue, brain fog and pain.

McGuinness compared the illness to being “burnt out”.

“It’s almost as if every part of you was raw, and you’re not able to do normal things,” she told Brendan O’Connor on RTÉ last month.

“You reach a point where you just can’t keep going. I don’t think I’d ever been at that point before.

“I’m glad there aren’t photos of what it looked like. I was emaciated,” she said.