Carey was appointed by the Department of the Environment to the Appeals Board of the Register of Architects and Chartered Surveyors, serving two terms from 2013 to 2019.
In 2002 she began writing the blog GUBU, "An Irish woman's social, political and domestic commentary".
Then, after reading the blog, Sunday Times Irish Editor Fiona McHugh offered Carey a column.
Carey said "her motives were political" as the Tribunal had only highlighted O'Brien's donations to Fine Gael, and not those to other parties.
[11] When the final Tribunal report was published in March 2011, she appeared on Prime Time, a national TV news analysis show, in which she defended the leak and her support for Mr O'Brien.
and Progressive Democrat colleague of Michael McDowell's, said that "her credibility as a columnist had been damaged by the findings of the report of the Moriarty tribunal and its aftermath."