The former Rose of Tralee said wanting a family was “always part of my bucket list”
The former Rose of Tralee said she is 16 weeks pregnant as a single woman.
She said wanting a family was “always part of my bucket list”.
Ms Walsh (38), who was born in Boston but grew up in Co Mayo, has been a member of the European Parliament for the Midlands–North-West constituency since 2019 and is a member of Fine Gael.
A photo of a baby grow accompanied her post.
“I did it on my own for various reasons, out of fear and really out of control,” she told RTÉ’s Brendan O’Connor Show.
“Google doctor is sometimes a great thing, but also a really damaging thing.
“And I’m up at two o’clock in the morning, down a rabbit hole of Dr Google, trying to figure out what do I need to do in order to feel healthier, in order to carry faster and create a healthy baby. That was really hard, particularly when you’re doing it on your own.”
Ms Walsh also shared that at one point she thought she may have miscarried, before she was told that she was in fact still pregnant.
MEP Maria Walsh who has announced she is 16 weeks pregnant. Photo: Carl Brennan.
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She experienced spotting and bleeding before attending a scan, during which she was told her baby was healthy.
“I sat in a waiting room that was incredibly packed. There was perhaps some single women like me who are LGBTQ+, or there were single women who were straight, or there was couples who were just going through the first round or second round, but the scare of miscarry is an incredible fear,” she said.
“I’m privileged to say that right now, I feel incredibly healthy. My baby’s healthy. We’re on track, good size, great heartbeat.
“But for others, that’s not a lived experience, and I think the more we give space to that story, the more we are able to support it.”
In a post on X, she said: “Loading… The next generation of farmers. Baby Walsh incoming, October 2026.
“Over the past 18 months, I’ve been navigating the highs and lows of IVF and fertility treatments.
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“I have done this as a single woman who has always wanted to become a mother.
“And while there have been challenges along the way, I am so grateful and excited to have reached this stage and hope to welcome a healthy, happy baby later this year.
“Going through this process on my own hasn’t always been easy, but I want to show other women that it is possible. Families in Ireland today come in many different forms, which isn’t always reflected in our media or politics.
“I think it’s now time we have a conversation to change this.”
Before entering politics, Ms Walsh won the 2014 Rose of Tralee.
In 2019, she entered politics for the first time, becoming the youngest serving member of the European Parliament.
She was re-elected in 2024 and in a post on X, she described her reappointment as “the greatest honour”.