Green Party (Ireland) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids <div style="padding-top:0.3em; padding-bottom:0.3em; border-top:2px solid Lua error in Module:European_and_national_party_data/config at line 227: attempt to index field 'data' (a nil value).; border-bottom:2px solid Lua error in Module:European_and_national_party_data/config at line 227: attempt to index field 'data' (a nil value).; line-height: 1;"> Green Party Comhaontas Glas
Leader	Roderic O'Gorman
Deputy leader	Róisín Garvey
Northern Ireland leader	Mal O'Hara
Chairperson	Janet Horner
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 (July 2024)	3,425
Ideology	Green politics Pro-Europeanism
Political position	Centre-left
European affiliation	European Green Party
International affiliation	Global Greens
European Parliament group	Greens–European Free Alliance
Northern Ireland affiliate	Green Party Northern Ireland
Colours	Green
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Local government in the Republic of Ireland	23 / 949
Local government in Northern Ireland	5 / 462
Website
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Politics of the Republic of Ireland Political parties Politics of Northern Ireland Political parties

The Green Party (in Irish: Comhaontas Glas) is a political party that works in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. A political party is a group of people with similar ideas who work to get their members elected to government. The Green Party's main focus is on green issues, which means protecting the environment. It also supports being part of the European Union.

The party was started in 1981 by a Dublin teacher named Christopher Fettes. At first, it was called the Ecology Party of Ireland. It changed its name to the Green Alliance in 1983 and then to the Green Party in 1987.

Over the years, the Green Party has had members elected to local councils, the Dáil Éireann (Ireland's main house of parliament), the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the European Parliament. The party has been part of the Irish government two times. The first time was from 2007 to 2011, and the second was from 2020 to 2024.

After a tough election in 2011 where it lost all its seats in the Dáil, the party made a comeback. In the 2020 general election, it had its best result ever, winning 12 seats. However, in the 2024 election, it lost most of those seats, keeping only one.

History of the Green Party

The Green Party has a long history of growing from a small group into a major political force in Ireland.

How the Party Began

A poster for the first meeting of the "Ecology Party of Ireland" in 1981.

The party started as the Ecology Party in 1981. At their first press conference, they announced they would run in the 1982 general election. Only one journalist showed up! The party didn't win any seats and got a very small number of votes.

After changing its name to the Green Alliance, the party began to see more success. In 1985, Marcus Counihan became the first Green member elected to a town council.

In the 1989 election, the party, now called the Green Party, won its first seat in Dáil Éireann. Roger Garland was elected in the Dublin South area. Over the next decade, the party slowly grew. By the 2002 election, it had six members, known as TDs, in the Dáil.

First Time in Government (2007-2011)

The Green Party's elected members in 2008.

After the 2007 election, the Green Party joined the government for the first time. They formed a coalition government with the Fianna Fáil party. This means they agreed to work together to run the country.

Being in government was a big step. John Gormley became the Minister for the Environment, and Eamon Ryan became the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. They worked on new laws, like banning old-fashioned light bulbs and creating a tax system to encourage people to buy more eco-friendly cars.

However, this was a difficult time for Ireland because of a major banking crisis. The government had to make tough decisions, and many people were unhappy. The Green Party's support from voters dropped. In the 2011 election, the party lost all six of its Dáil seats.

Comeback and Second Time in Government

Catherine Martin became the party's deputy leader in 2011.

After losing all its seats, the party had to rebuild. Eamon Ryan was elected as the new leader in 2011. In the 2016 election, the party made a comeback, winning two seats in the Dáil. This was a big achievement.

The party's support grew, and in the 2020 election, they had their best result ever, winning 12 Dáil seats. They became the fourth-largest party and joined a new coalition government with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.

During this time, the party helped pass important laws. One of their biggest achievements was the Climate Action Act. This law sets a legal goal for Ireland to have net-zero carbon emissions by the year 2050. This means the country will not add any extra carbon to the atmosphere.

However, being in government again led to some disagreements within the party. Some members were not happy with the coalition's policies. This led to some members, like TDs Neasa Hourigan and Patrick Costello, being temporarily suspended from the party for voting against the government.

Recent Events

In the 2024 local and European elections, the party lost many of its seats. Following these results, Eamon Ryan announced he was stepping down as leader. In July 2024, Roderic O'Gorman was elected as the new leader of the Green Party.

In the 2024 general election, the party's support fell, and it won only one of its twelve seats. The new leader, Roderic O'Gorman, was the only Green Party TD elected.

What the Green Party Believes In

The Green Party's ideas are based on seven main principles. These include protecting the environment, making decisions locally, and promoting world peace.

Core Beliefs

The party's main goal is to create a sustainable society. This means living in a way that doesn't harm the planet for future generations. Their beliefs are often called the "four pillars" of green politics:

• Ecological wisdom: Understanding how nature works and protecting it.
• Social justice: Making sure everyone in society is treated fairly.
• Grassroots democracy: Giving local communities more power to make decisions.
• Nonviolence: Solving problems peacefully.

Key Policies

Besides environmental issues, the party has policies on many other topics. They support protecting the Irish language and lowering the voting age to 16. They also believe in universal healthcare, where everyone can get medical care, not just those who can afford it.

How the Party is Organised

The Green Party has members and branches all over Ireland, including Northern Ireland. The party is run by a group called the National Executive Committee.

Party Leaders

The Green Party did not have an official leader until 2001. Since then, it has had several leaders who are elected by party members.

Party Leader

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		2011–2024	Dublin South Dublin Bay South
Roderic O'Gorman		2024–present	Dublin West

Deputy Leader

Name	Portrait	Period	Constituency
Mary White		2001–2011	Carlow–Kilkenny (2007–2011)
Catherine Martin		2011–2024	Dublin Rathdown (2016–present)
Róisín Garvey		2024–present	Nominated by Taoiseach

Election Results

This section shows how the Green Party has performed in different elections over the years.

Dáil Éireann (Irish Parliament)

Election	Leader	1st pref votes	%	Seats	±	Government
Nov 1982	None	3,716	0.2 (#6)	0 / 166		Extra-parliamentary
1987		7,159	0.4 (#8)	0 / 166		Extra-parliamentary
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	Extra-parliamentary
2016	Eamon Ryan	56,999	2.7 (#8)	2 / 158	2	Opposition
2020		155,695	7.1 (#4)	12 / 160	10	FF-FG-GP
2024	Roderic O'Gorman	66,911	3.0 (#8)	1 / 174	11	Opposition

European Parliament

Election	Leader	1st pref Votes	%	Seats	+/−	EP Group
1984	None	5,242	0.47 (#7)	0 / 15	New	−
1989		61,041	3.74 (#6)	0 / 15	0
1994		90,046	7.92 (#4)	2 / 15	2	G
1999		93,100	6.69 (#4)	2 / 15	0	Greens/EFA
2004	Trevor Sargent	76,917	4.32 (#5)	0 / 13	2	−
2009	John Gormley	34,585	1.89 (#7)	0 / 12	0
2014	Eamon Ryan	81,458	4.92 (#5)	0 / 11	0
2019		190,814	11.37 (#4)	2 / 13	2	Greens/EFA
2024		93,575	5.36 (#4)	0 / 14	2	−

Images for kids

• 

  Neasa Hourigan was a founding member of the Just Transition Greens, a group within the party.

See also

In Spanish: Partido Verde (Irlanda) para niños

• List of environmental organisations