Inagh’s Roisin Garvey elected as Greens Deputy Leader

*Senator Roisin Garvey (GP) seated with Darragh McAllister and Ciara Petty at the Ennis Chamber President’s Lunch. Photograph: Eamon Ward. 

SENATOR Roisin Garvey (GP) from Inagh has been elected as the new Deputy Leader of the Green Party.

Following an online contest on Sunday, Senator Garvey prevailed over Dublin Central TD Neasa Hourigan (GP) by 333 votes to 320 to be elected as the Greens new Deputy Leader. Junior Minister, Ossian Smyth (GP) withdrew from the contest this week.

In what is a period of change for the Greens following the decisions of Minister for Transport, Climate, Energy and Communications, Eamon Ryan (GP) and Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin (GP) to step down as Leader and Deputy Leader of the party, there is now a new-look leadership in place.

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman (GP) was earlier in the week chosen by Greens as their new leader. Out of an available electorate within the party membership of 3,425, a total of 1,896 members voted to decide who their new leader would be. Minister O’Gorman received 984 votes, or 51.8%, compared to 912, or 48.2%, for Senator Pippa Hackett (GP).

In a statement, the Green Party said Senator Garvey “brings a strong, rural, social justice and climate representation from someone with a lot of experience, as well as a rural female voice from west of the Shannon”.

“Huge congratulations” were extended to Senator Garvey by Minister O’Gorman who said, “I look forward to working with you to grow our party across the country and to deliver Green policies”. Galway based Senator Pauline O’Reilly described Roisin as “our rural rebel deputy leader”.

Roisin was first elected to Clare County Council in 2019, becoming the first female candidate elected in the Ennistymon local electoral area. She was nominated to the Seanad in May 2020 and in the February of that year contested the General Election. She currently serves as the Greens spokesperson on Rural Development, and Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Speaking in advance of the contest, Garvey said the Greens were not communicating their message effectively and that she believed she was part of the solution. “We want to be seen as a party that represents the whole of Ireland, not just cities or Dublin,” she stated.

Her father Flan is a former Mayor of Clare and Fianna Fáil councillor and her mother is Mairead, a native of Ballybunnion in Co Kerry