Occupation:Councillor
Age: 23
E-Mail address: charleneoharsf@gmail.com
Place of Birth: Belfast
Where you live: Twinbrook
First Job: Glass collector in the Hunting Lodge
What it taught me: How to work hard to achieve what I want and provide for myself and my family. It’s also made me a slight perfectionist
Family/Status: Single
Best advice anyone ever gave you: My mum always told me I could do anything I set my mind to, it’s something I was brought up to believe
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Do things for the right reasons and because you care. If it’s something you truly believe in then you’ll do your best to get it done. Never underestimate what others are going through, what may seem like something small, might be the biggest worry in someones’ life, give them the time you’d expect them to give you
Charlene O’Hara was co-opted onto Lisburn Council in November 2007 and, in the process, became the youngest councillor in Ireland at the age of 19. Charlene was born and raised in Twinbrook and attended St Mark’s Primary School and St Colm’s High school. She holds a Bachelor of Education in PE from St Mary’s University College on the Falls Road and has recently begun her Masters in Educational Management in Finance.
As a young carer, Charlene wanted to do more for her community and those in a similar situation to herself so joined Sinn Féin. In 2007 she was appointed to the role of secretary of the West Belfast Sinn Féin comhairle ceantair and was also vice-chair of the Twinbrook Sinn Fein Cumann.
Locally, Charlene chaired the Colin Drug and Alcohol Forum, working to ensure adequate service provision in the area and working with the community to tackle the drugs issue. She also works alongside a number of the youth projects within her community, sits on the Board of Governors for St Mark’s Primary School and on the Board of Directors for the Colin Glen Trust.
