Green Party (Ireland) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Green Party Comhaontas Glas
Leader	Eamon Ryan
Chairperson	Pauline O'Reilly
Deputy leader	Catherine Martin
Northern Ireland leader	Malachai O'Hara
Founders	Christopher Fettes Roger Garland Máire Mullarney
Founded	3 December 1981; 43 years ago (1981-12-03) (as Ecology Party of Ireland)
Headquarters	16–17 Suffolk Street, Dublin, Ireland
Youth wing	Young Greens
Membership (2020)	4,721
Ideology	Green politics
Political position	Centre-left
European affiliation	European Green Party
International affiliation	Global Greens
European Parliament group	Greens–European Free Alliance
Affiliate	Green Party Northern Ireland
Colours	Green
Dáil Éireann	12 / 160
Seanad Éireann	5 / 60
Local government in the Republic of Ireland	45 / 949
Local government in Northern Ireland	5 / 462
European Parliament (Republic of Ireland seats)	2 / 13
Politics of Republic of Ireland Politics of Northern Ireland Political parties

The Green Party (called Comhaontas Glas in Irish, meaning "Green Alliance") is a political party in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It focuses on protecting the environment and supports cooperation with other European countries.

The party started in 1981 as the Ecology Party of Ireland, founded by a teacher named Christopher Fettes from Dublin. It changed its name to the Green Alliance in 1983 and then to the Green Party in 1987, keeping its Irish name the same.

Today, the party leader is Eamon Ryan, and the deputy leader is Catherine Martin. The chairperson is Pauline O'Reilly. Green Party members have been elected to many levels of government, including local councils, the Irish Parliament (called the Dáil Éireann), the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the European Parliament.

The Green Party first won a seat in the Dáil in 1989. It has been part of the Irish government twice. The first time was from 2007 to 2011, working with the Fianna Fáil party. The second time started in June 2020, in a government with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. After their first time in government, the party lost all its seats in the 2011 election. However, they made a comeback in the 2016 election, winning two seats. In the 2020 election, they had their best result ever, winning 12 seats and becoming the fourth-largest party in Ireland.

History of the Green Party

Starting Out and First Successes

A poster for the first meeting of the Ecology Party of Ireland.

The Green Party began as the Ecology Party in 1981. Christopher Fettes was the party's first chairperson. Their first public event was small, with only seven candidates and about 20 supporters. The party didn't expect to win any seats in the 1982 election, and they only received 0.2% of the votes.

After changing its name to the Green Alliance, the party ran in the 1984 European elections. Roger Garland, one of the party's founders, won 1.9% of the votes in Dublin. The next year, in 1985, the party won its first election when Marcus Counihan was elected to the Killarney Urban District Council.

The party continued to grow. In the 1989 general election, the Green Party (as it was now called) won its first seat in the Dáil, with Roger Garland being elected. He lost his seat in 1992, but Trevor Sargent won a seat in a different area. In the 1994 European election, Patricia McKenna and Nuala Ahern won seats in the European Parliament. They kept these seats in the 1999 European election.

In the 2002 general election, the party had a big success, getting six members (called Teachtaí Dála or TDs) elected to the Dáil. This was a major step forward for them. However, they lost their two European Parliament seats in the 2004 European election. In the 2004 local elections, they increased their number of local councillors.

In 2007, the Green Party gained its first seat in the Northern Ireland Assembly. This happened after the Green Party in Northern Ireland became a part of the main Green Party in Ireland the year before.

First Time in Government

The Green Party's members of parliament in 2008.

The Green Party joined the government for the first time after the 2007 general election. They didn't win more seats, but their votes increased. Mary White won a seat, but Dan Boyle lost his.

The Green Party decided to work with the Fianna Fáil party to form a government. This was a big decision, and some people in the party were worried about it. On June 13, 2007, Green Party members voted to join the government. The next day, the six Green Party TDs voted for Bertie Ahern to become the Taoiseach (Ireland's Prime Minister) again.

New party leader John Gormley became the Minister for the Environment. Eamon Ryan became the Minister for Communications, Energy, and Natural Resources. Trevor Sargent was appointed as a Minister of State for Food.

Before joining the government, the Green Party had supported campaigns like "Shell to Sea" and stopping a motorway near the Hill of Tara. Once in government, their policies on these issues didn't change much.

The government's response to the banking crisis after 2008 affected the party's support. In the 2009 local elections, they lost many of their local council seats.

In January 2011, the Green Party decided to leave the government. They felt that Fianna Fáil was not dealing with leadership issues well enough. John Gormley said that their patience had run out.

During their time in government (2007-2011), the Green Party helped pass laws for civil partnerships for same-sex couples. They also helped bring in major changes to planning rules, increase renewable energy, and start a national program for home insulation.

Losing Seats and Coming Back

Catherine Martin became the deputy leader of the party in 2011.

In the 2011 general election, the Green Party lost all six of its Dáil seats. This meant they had no representatives in the Irish Parliament for the first time since 1989.

After this, Eamon Ryan was elected as the new party leader in May 2011, taking over from John Gormley. Catherine Martin became the deputy leader.

The party started to recover in the 2016 general election, when Eamon Ryan and Catherine Martin won two seats in the Dáil. Grace O'Sullivan also won a seat in the Seanad (the upper house of the Irish Parliament). This was a historic moment, as they were the first Irish party to lose all their seats and then win them back.

The Greens continued to gain strength in 2019. They did very well in the local elections and the European Parliament election. In November 2019, Pippa Hackett won a Seanad seat, and Joe O'Brien won the party's first ever by-election.

In the 2020 general election, the party had its best result ever, winning 12 Dáil seats. They became the fourth-largest party and joined a new government with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Eamon Ryan, Catherine Martin, and Roderic O'Gorman became government ministers.

After joining the government, some members left the party due to disagreements about the coalition's policies. Despite these challenges, a major Green Party policy, the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021, became law in July 2021. This law sets a legal path for Ireland to reach net zero emissions by 2050, meaning the country will not add new greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

What the Green Party Believes In

The Green Party has seven main "founding principles":

• Society's impact on the environment should not cause harm to nature.
• Decisions should be made at the lowest possible level, close to the people they affect.
• We must protect the Earth for future generations.
• People should be self-reliant and work together.
• Saving resources is key for a lasting society.
• World peace is more important than national or business interests.
• The world's resources should be shared fairly to help those in poverty.

These principles are similar to the "four pillars" of green politics found in many Green Parties worldwide: caring for nature, fairness for all, democracy from the ground up, and peaceful solutions. They also include respecting different cultures and ideas.

While the party is known for its environmental policies, it also has ideas on other important topics. These include protecting the Irish language, allowing people to vote at age 16, having a directly elected Seanad, supporting healthcare for everyone, and making sure Ireland's water supply can never be sold to private companies.

Different Groups Within the Party

Neasa Hourigan was a founding member of the Just Transition Greens.

Like other green parties, the Irish Green Party has different groups within it. Some members are more focused on socialist ideas and are sometimes called the "Green Left." Others are more moderate and prefer a practical approach.

In the past, there were two main groups: the "Realists" and the "Fundamentalists." The Realists believed in making some compromises to get members elected and into government to make changes. The Fundamentalists wanted more radical policies and felt there was no time for compromise because of climate change. Over time, the Realists became the stronger group.

However, new groups have formed. In 2020, some members created the "Just Transition Greens." This group wants the party to focus on policies that ensure a "Just Transition" – meaning that changes to protect the environment also create a fair society for everyone, especially those who might be affected by these changes.

How the Green Party is Organized

The party's main organizing group is the National Executive Committee. It includes the party leader (Eamon Ryan), the deputy leader (Catherine Martin), the chairperson (Pauline O'Reilly), and other elected members and representatives from groups like the Young Greens.

Party Leaders Over Time

Name	Portrait	Period	Constituency
No leader		1981–2001	N/A
Trevor Sargent		2001–2007	Dublin North
John Gormley		2007–2011	Dublin South-East
Eamon Ryan		2011–present	Dublin South Dublin Bay South

Deputy Leaders Over Time

Name	Portrait	Period	Constituency
Mary White		2001–2011	Carlow–Kilkenny (2007–2011)
Catherine Martin		2011–present	Dublin Rathdown (2016–present)

Chairpersons Over Time

Name	Portrait	Period
John Gormley		2002–2007
Dan Boyle		2007–2011
Roderic O'Gorman		2011–2019
Hazel Chu		2019–2021
Pauline O’Reilly		2021–present

Note: The position of Cathaoirleach (Chairperson) was created in 2002.

How Leaders are Chosen

The Green Party didn't have a national leader until 2001. That year, Trevor Sargent was elected as the first official leader, and Mary White became his deputy. Sargent was re-elected twice. The party's rules say that a leadership election must happen within six months after a general election.

Sargent resigned as leader after the 2007 general election. He had promised not to lead the party into government with Fianna Fáil, but the election results made it the most likely option. After the party agreed to form a coalition, he stepped down.

John Gormley became the new leader in July 2007. He served as Minister for the Environment until the Green Party left the government in 2011.

After the party lost all its Dáil seats in 2011, Gormley decided not to run for leader again. Eamon Ryan was then elected as the new party leader. Catherine Martin became the deputy leader, and Roderic O'Gorman was elected party chairperson.

In 2020, Eamon Ryan's leadership was challenged by his deputy, Catherine Martin, after the party joined the government again. Ryan won the vote by a small number of votes.

Green Party in Ireland and Europe

The Green Party works across the whole island of Ireland, with groups in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Green Party in Northern Ireland officially became a part of the main Green Party in 2005. In 2007, Brian Wilson won the Green Party's first seat in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Election Results

Dáil Éireann (Irish Parliament)

Election	Leader	First choice votes	%	Seats	±	Government
Nov 1982	None	3,716	0.2 (#6)	0 / 166		Not in Parliament
1987		7,159	0.4 (#8)	0 / 166		Not in Parliament
1989		24,827	1.5 (#6)	1 / 166	1	Opposition
1992		24,110	1.4 (#7)	1 / 166		Opposition
1997		49,323	2.8 (#5)	2 / 166	1	Opposition
2002	Trevor Sargent	71,470	3.8 (#6)	6 / 166	4	Opposition
2007		96,936	4.7 (#5)	6 / 166		FF-GP-PD
2011	John Gormley	41,039	1.8 (#5)	0 / 166	6	Not in Parliament
2016	Eamon Ryan	56,999	2.7 (#8)	2 / 158	2	Opposition
2020		155,695	7.1 (#4)	12 / 160	10	FF-FG-GP

City and County Council Local Elections

Election	±	Seats won	First-pref. votes	%
1985		None	7,446	0.5%
1991	13	13	32,950	2.4%
1999	5	8	35,742	2.5%
2004	10	18	71,052	3.9%
2009	15	3	44,152	2.3%
2014	9	12	27,168	1.6%
2019	37	49	96,315	5.6%

Northern Ireland Assembly Elections

Election	Body	Leader	First choice votes	%	Seats	±	Government
1996	Forum	None	3,647	0.5 (#10)	0 / 110		No seats
1998	Assembly		710	0.1 (#18)	0 / 108		No seats
2003			2,688	0.4 (#11)	0 / 108		No seats
2007			11,985	1.7 (#7)	1 / 108	1	Opposition
2011		Steven Agnew	6,031	0.9 (#7)	1 / 108		Opposition
2016			18,718	2.7 (#7)	2 / 108	1	Opposition
2017			18,527	2.3 (#7)	2 / 90		Opposition
2022		Clare Bailey	16,433	1.9 (#7)	0 / 90	2	No seats

Westminster (UK Parliament) Elections in Northern Ireland

Election	Seats (in NI)	±	Position	Total votes	% (in NI)	% (in UK)	Government
1983	0 / 17		None	451	0.1%	0.0%	No Seats
1987	0 / 17		None	281	0.0%	0.0%	No Seats
1997	0 / 18		None	539	0.1%	0.0%	No Seats
2010	0 / 18		None	3,542	0.5%	0.0%	No Seats
2015	0 / 18		None	6,822	1.0%	0.0%	No Seats
2017	0 / 18		None	7,452	0.9%	0.0%	No Seats
2019	0 / 18		None	1,996	0.2%	0.0%	No Seats

European Parliament Elections

Election	First choice Votes	%	Seats	+/–
1984	5,242	0.5 (#7)	0 / 15
1989	61,041	3.7 (#6)	0 / 15
1994	90,046	7.9 (#4)	2 / 15	2
1999	93,100	6.7 (#4)	2 / 15
2004	76,917	4.3 (#5)	0 / 13	2
2009	34,585	1.9 (#7)	0 / 12
2014	81,458	4.9 (#5)	0 / 11
2019	190,814	11.4 (#4)	2 / 13	2
2019	93,575	5.36 (#4)	2 / 13

See also

In Spanish: Partido Verde (Irlanda) para niños

• List of environmental organisations