I am the only non-aligned independent, that’s what it used to mean to be an independent

Katherine Zappone is a pragmatic realist; she knows where the country should be going on issues like child homelessness

Katherine Zappone Pic: Bryan Meade

CV: Katherine Zappone

Age:62

Marital status: Married to Dr Ann Louise Gilligan

Lives: Brittas, Co Dublin

Favourite book: Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson

Favourite movie: Eye in the Sky

It’s a sunny summer’s evening in Dublin city centre and Katherine Zappone has decided to forgo the usual stuffy, office-based ministerial interview for a chat on a wooden bench in Merrion Park, just across the road from Leinster ...