Green Party leader quits after election setback

The leader of the Irish Green Party, Eamon Ryan, has become the highest profile casualty of the European and local elections in the 26 Counties after he announced he is quitting politics.

Ryan’s party is one of the three making up the current coalition government in Dublin. It took a hammering from the electorate last week, losing both of its seats in the European parliament and more than half of its local councillors as voters, just as in 2011, abandoned the party in droves over its propping up of an unpopular right-wing coalition.

“I’m stepping down to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders, confident in the strength and values I’ve seen built up in our party over all of these years,” Ryan (pictured, left) said, adding: “I cannot continue to work the long hours that being a public representative involves.”

The final results of the European election on Thursday saw the election of Sinn Féin’s Kathleen Funchion (pictured, centre) as MEP for Ireland South, becoming the party’s second MEP, joining Lynn Boylan, who was elected earlier in the week to represent Dublin.

Funchion edged out independent anti-imperialist Mick Wallace in the final count last Thursday after outstripping Mr Wallace by some 6,000 voters thanks to transfers from her party colleague Paul Gavan.

Party leader Mary Lou McDonald was at the count centre in Cork for the celebrations as Ms Funchion held aloft a tricolour as she was hoisted on the shoulders of colleague following the declaration of the result.

However, there was a setback for Sinn Féin in Midlands-North-West as both of its candidates failed to win a seat in the European Parliament.

Sinn Féin’s Michelle Gildernew became the party’s highest profile casualty as she narrowly lost out to Ciarán Mullooly, a candidate for Independent Ireland, after colleague and incumbent Chris MacManus was eliminated earlier in the count.

Ms Gildernew confirmed she would not be running in the forthcoming Westminster election in the Fermanagh and South Tyrone, where Sinn Féin had already selected an alternative candidate, nursing chief Pat Cullen.

“In 2001 when I was first elected by a margin of 53 votes to the seat held by Bobby Sands in 1981 I was humbled,” she said.

“It has been both a privilege and an honour to represent the people of Fermanagh and South Tyrone since; and I will be forever grateful for the trust they have placed in me.”

The constituency saw the safe return of left-wing rural progressive, Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan (pictured, right), who was praised for holding up the Palsestinian flag on his election in support of those currently suffering Israeli atrocities in Gaza.

He exceeded the quota following the distribution of transfers from of Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín, who narrowly missed out on taking his party’s first European seat.

Speaking in Belfast, Ms McDonald said she was disappointed that Ms Gildernew did not get elected.

“I am also conscious that she and her family, in the course of this campaign, endured an unspeakable tragedy in their family,” she said.

Earlier this month, Ms Gildernew’s nephew, Fiachra Ó Faoláin, who was in his 20s, died after getting into difficulty in a lake in Co Tyrone.

Ms Gildenew had “fought an incredible campaign. She was battling right to the very end; she just missed out

“Michelle, as you know, is a formidable woman with an incredible record of public representation and public service.

“Be in no doubt that Michelle will feature very strongly within the Sinn Féin team into the future.

“I know, because I’ve been talking to her directly, she will bounce back.”

EUROPEAN ELECTION RESULT (counting complete)

Fine Gael: 20.8% (-8.8%) 4 seats (-1)
Fianna Fáil: 20.4% (+3.8%) 4 seats (+2)
Sinn Féin: 11.1% (-0.6%) 2 seats (+1)
Independent Ireland: 6.2% (+6.2%) 1 seat (+1)
Green Party: 5.4% (-6.0%) 0 seats (-2)
Aontú: 3.8% (+3.8%) 0 seats (-)
Labour: 3.4% (+0.3%) 1 seat (+1)
Social Democrats: 3.0% (+1.8%) 0 seats (-)
People Before Profit: 1.8% (-0.5%) 0 seats (-)
Others: 24.1% (-3.2%) 2 seats (-)

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