Although the Green Party faced potential loss of almost half its local representatives, it managed to curtail this downturn with commendable performance in Dublin city, including a number of headlining poll victories. The party had 44 councillors going into the local elections, and despite foreseeing a considerable decrease to a tally in the low 20s, senior party insiders maintained that, for a secondary participant in the coalition government, the result exceeded previous benchmarks. They referenced the Green Party’s experience in 2009 and the Labour Party’s election outcome in 2014 as parallels.
Prominent party members stated that all six seats in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown would continue to be held by the party, along with eight seats in the Dublin City Council. Claire Byrne (South East Inner City), Michael Pidgeon (South West Inner City), and Feljin Jose (Cabra-Glasnevin) were key figures in securing these council seats.
However, the individuals who secured the last few seats in 2019 as a result of the party’s sudden spike in popularity at both local and European level, seemed particularly at risk. As one senior party member put it, “The colossal green wave has succumbed, but a significant green voting power still exists.”
At European level, on Sunday evening, data was insufficient to accurately predict the likelihood of the party’s current MEPs, in Dublin (Ciarán Cuffe) or Ireland South (Grace O’Sullivan), keeping their seats. However, earlier that day, party strategists expressed discouragement about the likelihood of preserving either seat. Pauline O’Reilly, the Green Party senator and chair, was not identified in the predicted candidates likely to secure seats in Midlands-Northwest.
Specifically, Cuffe was anticipated to be a key player in a crucial face-off involving up to six contenders vying for the final two spots in Dublin. It was predicted that both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael would secure the first two positions through representatives Barry Andrews and Regina Doherty, while the Greens would be competing against a group including Niall Boylan, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Clare Daly, Lynn Boylan, and Bríd Smith.
Eamon Ryan, the Green Party leader, commented on Sunday that their experiences in the local and European elections had been varied. Based on the reports from within the party, it’s been noted that their candidates also achieved favourable results within rural districts, hinting at competitive performances in areas such as Kerry and Clare, despite candidates just missing out on election.