Hildegarde was elected to Galway City Council in 2009 and elected Mayor of Galway in 2011. Appointed to the Seanad in 2013, she served as the Fine Gael spokesperson on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. In 2016 she was elected to the 32nd Dáil and represents the constituency of Galway West – South Mayo. She is Chairperson of both the Special Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action and the Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and the Environment. She also serves on the Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills.  Previously, Hildegarde served on the Special Committee on the Future of Healthcare, who drafted the Sláintecare plan for the future of healthcare delivery, and also served on the Special Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment.  Hildegarde is a graduate, B.A Economics and French & M.A French, of the National University of Ireland, Galway.