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|country = the Republic of Ireland
|country = the Republic of Ireland
|country2 = Northern Ireland
|country2 = Northern Ireland
|name = Green Party
|name = People's Democratic Socialist Party
|native_name = Comhaontas Glas
|native_name = Páirtí Sóisialach Daoine Dhaonlathach
|logo = [[File:Irishgreenlogo.png|130px]]
|leader = [[Evan Pereira]] [[Teachta Dála|TD]]
|leader1_title = Northern Ireland Assembly leader
|leader = [[Eamon Ryan]] [[Teachta Dála|TD]]
|chairman = [[Roderic O'Gorman]]
|leader1_name = N/A [[Member of the Legislative Assembly|MLA]]
|ideology = [[Democratic Socialism]] <br>[[Soft Euroscepticism]] <br>[[Anti-Corruption]] <br>[[Anti-Capitalism]]
|leader1_title = Deputy leader
|position = [[Left-wing politics|Left-Wing]]
|leader1_name = [[Catherine Martin (politician)|Catherine Martin]] [[Teachta Dála|TD]]
|european = [[European United Left–Nordic Green Left]]
|leader2_title = Northern Ireland Assembly leader
|leader2_name = [[Steven Agnew]], [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)|MLA]]
|foundation = {{Start date|df=yes|1981}}
|headquarters = 16–17 Suffolk Street, [[Dublin]] 2, [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]
|youth_wing = [[Young Greens (Ireland)|Young Greens]]
|ideology = [[Green Politics]] <br>[[Social Progressivism]] <br>[[Pro-Europeanism]]
|position = [[Centre-left politics|Centre-left]]
|european = [[European Green Party]]
|international = [[Global Greens]]
|international = [[Global Greens]]
|europarl =
|europarl =
|colours = {{colour box|{{Green Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}} {{colour box|Gold}} Green and gold
|colours = {{colour box|{{PDSP (Ireland)/meta/color}}}} {{colour box|Black}} Green, White, Orange, Red and Gold
|website = {{url|http://www.greenparty.ie/}}
|colorcode = {{PDSP (Ireland)/meta/color}}
|colorcode = {{Green Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}
|seats1_title = [[Dáil Éireann]]
|seats1_title = [[Dáil Éireann]]
|seats1 = {{Composition bar|2|158|hex={{Green Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
|seats1 = {{Composition bar|10|158|hex={{People's Democratic Socialist Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
|seats2_title = [[Seanad Éireann]]
|seats2_title = [[Seanad Éireann]]
|seats2 = {{Composition bar|1|60|hex={{Green Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
|seats2 = {{Composition bar|3|60|hex={{People's Democratic Socialist Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
|seats3_title = [[Northern Ireland Assembly]]
|seats3_title = [[Northern Ireland Assembly]]
|seats3 = {{Composition bar|2|108|hex={{Green Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
|seats3 = {{Composition bar|4|108|hex={{People's Democratic Socialist Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
|seats4_title = [[Local government in the Republic of Ireland]]
|seats4_title = [[Local government in the Republic of Ireland]]
|seats4 = {{Composition bar|12|949|hex={{Green Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
|seats4 = {{Composition bar|12|949|hex={{People's Democratic Socialist Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
|seats5_title = [[Local government in Northern Ireland]]
|seats5_title = [[Local government in Northern Ireland]]
|seats5 = {{Composition bar|3|462|hex={{Green Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
|seats5 = {{Composition bar|3|462|hex={{People's Democratic Socialist Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
}}
{{Green politics sidebar}}

The '''Green Party''' ({{lang-ga|Comhaontas Glas}}) is a [[green politics|green]] [[list of political parties in the Republic of Ireland|political party in Ireland]] that operates in both the [[Republic of Ireland]] and [[Northern Ireland]]. It was founded as the '''Ecology Party of Ireland''' in 1981 by [[Dublin]] teacher [[Christopher Fettes]]. The party became the '''Green Alliance''' in 1983 and in 1987 was renamed to its current title in English. Its leader is [[Eamon Ryan]], its deputy leader is Catherine Martin and its chairman is [[Roderic O'Gorman]].

Green Party candidates have been elected to all levels of representation; [[Local government in the Republic of Ireland|local]], [[Dáil Éireann|Dáil]] and [[European Parliament]], and in 2007 the party gained its first representation in the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]], the [[Green Party in Northern Ireland]] having become a regional branch of the party the previous year.

The Greens became part of the [[Government of Ireland|Irish government]] for the first time following the [[Irish general election, 2007|2007 general election]], having agreed upon a programme for government in [[coalition government|coalition]] with [[Fianna Fáil]] and the [[Progressive Democrats]]. In the wake of the [[Post-2008 Irish economic downturn|Irish financial crisis]], the party lost a significant amount of its support and came under pressure to withdraw its support for the administration. In January 2011 the party withdrew from government, after passing legislation for [[European Union]] and [[International Monetary Fund]] financial support for the Republic's bank bailout, and a dispute with Fianna Fáil over the appointment of cabinet ministers.<ref name="withdrawal">{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0123/politics1.html|title=Green Party withdraws from Government|date=23 January 2011|accessdate=23 January 2011|work=[[RTÉ News and Current Affairs]]|publisher=[[Raidió Teilifís Éireann|RTÉ]]}}</ref> In the February 2011 election, the party suffered a wipeout, losing all six of its TDs. Following the 2011 [[Seanad Éireann]] election, the party no longer had any representatives in the [[Oireachtas]]. In the February 2016 election, the Green Party returned to the Dáil with two seats, becoming the first Irish political party to lose all seats at an election and win seats after that.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thejournal.ie/eamon-ryan-elected-green-party-2630819-Feb2016/|title=Green Party back as Eamon Ryan joins his deputy in Dáil|publisher=thejournal.ie|date=28 February 2016|accessdate=29 February 2016}}</ref> Following this, [[Grace O'Sullivan]] was elected to the Seanad on the 26th of April that year.

It has two representatives in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

==History==

===Early years===
The party's first electoral outing was when seven candidates contested the [[Irish general election, November 1982|November 1982 general election]] under the ''Ecology Party'' banner, winning 0.2% of the vote. Following a name change, they contested the [[European Parliament election, 1984 (Ireland)|1984 European elections]], with their party founder winning 1.9% in the Dublin constituency. The following year they won their first election when Marcus Counihan was elected to [[Killarney Urban District Council]] during the 1985 local elections. The party nationally ran 34 candidates and won 0.6% of the vote.

The party continued to struggle until the [[Irish general election, 1989|1998 general election]] when the (again renamed) party won its first seat in parliament (the [[Dáil]]), when [[Roger Garland]] was elected in [[Dublin South (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin South]]. In the [[European Parliament election, 1994 (Ireland)|1994 European election]] [[Patricia McKenna]] topped the poll for the Dublin Constituency and [[Nuala Ahern]] won a seat in Leinster. They retained their seats in the [[European Parliament election, 1999 (Ireland)|1999 European election]] although the party lost five councillors in local elections held that year despite an increase in their vote. In [[Irish general election, 1997|1997 general election]] the party gained a seat when [[John Gormley]] won a Dáil seat in [[Dublin South-East (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin South-East]].

At the [[Irish general election, 2002|2002 general election]] the party made a breakthrough, getting six [[Teachta Dála|Teachtaí Dála]] (TDs) elected to the Dáil with 4% of the national vote. However, in the [[European Parliament election, 2004 (Ireland)|2004 European election]], the party lost both of its European Parliament seats. In the 2004 local elections at county level it increased its number of councillors from 8 to 18 out of 883 and at town council level its number of councillors increased from 5 to 14 out of 744. While in government, the vast majority of its seats were lost at the 2009 council elections, including its entire traditional Dublin base, where – with the exception of a Town Council Seat in Balbriggan – it held no council seats in Dublin and only three County Council seats in total.

===2007 Dáil election===
Although the party's share of first preference votes increased by some 22% from 3.84% to 4.69% nationally in the [[Irish general election, 2007|2007 general election]], held on 24 May 2007, the party failed to increase the number of TDs returned. [[Mary White (Green Party politician)|Mary White]] won a seat for the first time in [[Carlow–Kilkenny (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Carlow–Kilkenny]]; however, [[Dan Boyle (politician)|Dan Boyle]] lost his seat in [[Cork South-Central (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Cork South-Central]] leaving the party with the same number of TDs as before.
Those elected were:
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
|-
!Name
!Constituency
|-
|[[Mary White (Green Party politician)|Mary White]]
|[[Carlow–Kilkenny (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Carlow–Kilkenny]]
|-
|[[Paul Gogarty]]
|[[Dublin Mid-West (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin Mid-West]]
|-
|[[Trevor Sargent]]
|[[Dublin North (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin North]]
|-
|[[John Gormley]]
|[[Dublin South-East (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin South-East]]
|-
|[[Eamon Ryan]]
|[[Dublin South (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin South]]
|-
|[[Ciarán Cuffe]]
|[[Dún Laoghaire (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dún Laoghaire]]
|}

===In government===
The Green Party entered government with [[Fianna Fáil]] and the [[Progressive Democrats (Ireland)|Progressive Democrats]] on 14 June 2007, gaining two senior ministers [[John Gormley]], [[Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government|Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government]] and [[Eamon Ryan]], [[Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources]]. [[Trevor Sargent]] was named the [[Minister of State (Ireland)|junior minister]] for [[Minister of State for Food, Horticulture and Food Safety|Minister of State for Food and Horticulture]], however Sargent later resigned the position in 2010. On 23 March 2010, the Green Party gained two new junior ministries. Ciaran Cuffe was appointed as Minister for Horticulture, Sustainable Travel, Planning and Heritage. Mary White was appointed as Minister for Equality, Human Rights and Integration.

The Green Party had approached the 2007 General Election in the Republic on an independent platform, ruling out no coalition partners while expressing its preference for an alternative to the incumbent coalition.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0225/weekinpolitics.html |title=Poll shows loss of support for FF |date=25 February 2007 |author=[[RTÉ]] |accessdate=17 January 2009 |work=RTÉ News |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/20070303165613/http://www.rte.ie:80/news/2007/0225/weekinpolitics.html |archivedate=3 March 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.johngormley.com/wp/2007/02/24/speech-to-green-party-convention-2007/ |title=Speech to Green Party Convention 2007 |date=24 February 2007 |author=[[John Gormley]] |work=John Gormley's blog |accessdate=14 January 2008 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/20071010130807/http://www.johngormley.com:80/wp/2007/02/24/speech-to-green-party-convention-2007/ |archivedate=10 October 2007 }}</ref> The results of the election ruled out the possibility of a Fine Gael/Labour/Green government without support from a combination of the Progressive Democrats, Sinn Féin and various independents (77 seats) leaving it 7 seats short of a majority.<ref>http://electionsireland.org/results/general/30thdail/resultssummary.cfm</ref> Fine Gael ruled out a potential coalition arrangement with Sinn Féin <ref>{{cite news | authors = Deaglán de Bréadún, Miriam Donohoe | title = Rainbow coalition is still possible, says Kenny | page = 8 | publisher = The Irish Times | date = 28 May 2007 | accessdate =17 January 2009}}</ref> opening the way for Green Party negotiations with Fianna Fáil.

===Negotiations for government===
Before the negotiations began [[Ciarán Cuffe]] wrote on his blog that "a deal with Fianna Fáil would be a deal with the devil... and [the Green Party would be] decimated as a Party".<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://cuffestreet.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html
|title=Great to be back
|date=28 May 2007
|author=[[Ciarán Cuffe]]
|work=Cuffe Street (Ciarán Cuffe's blog)
|accessdate=1 July 2008
}}</ref> The negotiations were undertaken by [[Dan Boyle (politician)|Dan Boyle]], Donall Geoghegan (the party's general secretary) and the at that time party Chair [[John Gormley]]. The Green Party walked out after 6 days in what Donall Geoghegan later said was due to there not being "enough in [the deal] to allow [the Green Party] to continue".<ref>{{cite news
| title = Green senator saw red during tough negotiations with Fianna Fáil
| work= [[Irish Independent]]
| date = 23 August 2007
| url = http://www.independent.ie/national-news/green-senator-saw-red-during-tough-negotiations-with-fianna-fail-1064137.html
| accessdate =17 January 2009}}
</ref> The negotiations restarted on 11 June with a draft programme for government being agreed one day later, which under party rules needed 66% of members to endorse it at a special convention.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ahern and Sargent in govt talks |work=RTÉ 9 O'Clock News |date=11 June 2007 |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0611/9news.html |accessdate=17 January 2009 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=FF & GP agree draft programme for govt |work=RTÉ 9 O'Clock News |date=12 June 2007 |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0612/9news.html |accessdate=17 January 2009 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
On 13 June 2007, Green members in the [[Mansion House, Dublin|Mansion House]], Dublin, voted 86% in favour (441 to 67; with 2 spoilt votes) of entering coalition with Fianna Fáil. The following day, the six Green Party TDs voted for the re-election of [[Bertie Ahern]] as [[Taoiseach]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Greens vote to enter FF-led coalition |publisher=RTÉ 9 O'Clock News |date=13 June 2007 |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0613/9news.html |accessdate=17 January 2009 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
This was the first time the Green Party had entered government in Ireland.

===Criticisms===
Before their entry into government, the Green Party were vocal supporters of the [[Shell to Sea]] movement,<ref>[http://www.breakingnews.ie/2006/11/21/story286033.html Shell to Sea' campaign gets cross-party support]{{spaced ndash}}''BreakingNews.ie'', 21 November 2006.</ref> the campaign to reroute the M3 [[motorway]] away from [[Hill of Tara|Tara]] and (to a lesser extent) the campaign to end [[United States military]] use of [[Shannon airport]].<ref>[http://www.village.ie/Election_07/Election_Count/Military_use_of_Shannon_not_a_campaign_issue,_but_now_contentious/ Military use of Shannon not a campaign issue, but now contentious]{{spaced ndash}}''[[Village (magazine)|Village]]'', 12 June 2007</ref> Since the Green Party entered government, there were no substantive changes in government policy on these issues, which meant that Eamon Ryan oversaw the [[Corrib gas project]] while he was in office. The Green Party made an inquiry into the irregularities surrounding the project (see [[Corrib gas controversy]]) a precondition of government at their last annual conference<ref>[http://www.indymedia.ie/features?results_offset=50 Prominent Shell to Sea activist to oversee Corrib project]{{spaced ndash}}''Indymedia.ie'', 16 June 2007.</ref> but changed their stance during post-election negotiations with Fianna Fáil. The [[County Mayo]] branch of the party still supports efforts to relocate the refinery to an alternative location.<ref>[[Connaught Telegraph]], 5 July 2008</ref>

===2008 budget===
The 2008 budget, announced on 6 December 2007, did not include a carbon levy on fuels such as petrol, diesel and home heating oil, which the Green Party had sought before the election.<ref name="indep-green-budget">{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/budget2008/news/green-budget-signals-war-on-climate-change-1239079.html |title='Green' Budget signals war on climate change |author=Treacy Hogan |work=The Irish Independent |date=6 December 2007 |accessdate=14 January 2008}}</ref> A carbon levy was however introduced in the 2010 Budget.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greenparty.ie/en/news/latest_news/green_party_leader_addresses_dail_on_budget_2010 |title=Green Party Leader addresses Dáil on Budget 2010 / Latest news / News / Home – Green Party / Comhaontas Glas |publisher=Greenparty.ie |date=10 December 2009 |accessdate=23 January 2011}}</ref> The 2008 budget did include a separate carbon budget announced by Gormley,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.greenparty.ie/en/news/latest_news/gormley_delivers_carbon_budget |title=Gormley delivers carbon budget |author=John Gormley |publisher=Green Party |date=6 December 2007 |accessdate=14 January 2008}}</ref> which introduced new energy efficiency tax credit,<ref name="indep-green-budget"/> a ban on [[incandescent light bulb|incandescent bulbs]] from January 2009,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/gormley-lights-the-way-with-ban-on-bulbs-1240074.html |title=Gormley lights the way with ban on bulbs |author=Treacy Hogan |work=The Irish Independent |date=7 December 2007 |accessdate=14 January 2008}}</ref> a tax scheme incentivising commuters' purchases of bicycles<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/surviving-the-recession/get-on-yer-bike-1559896.html |title=Get on yer bike |author=John Cradden |work=The Irish Independent |date=2 December 2008 |accessdate=31 August 2009}}</ref> and a new scale of [[vehicle registration tax (Ireland)|vehicle registration tax]] based on carbon emissions.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/budget2008/analysis-overview/so-how-green-was-it-for-you-just-look-at-redfaced-drivers-1239124.html |title=So, how Green was it for you? Just look at red-faced drivers |author=Senan Molony |work=The Irish Independent |date=6 December 2007 |accessdate=14 January 2008}}</ref>

===Treaty of Lisbon===
In 2007, the Green Party launched an internal debate on the party's stance on the [[Treaty of Lisbon]]. At a special convention on 19 January 2008 to consider whether or not to support what would become the [[Twenty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland|Twenty-eighth Amendment]], the party voted 63.5% in favour of supporting the Lisbon Treaty fell short of the party's two-third majority requirement for policy issues. As a result, the Green Party did not participate in the referendum debate, although individual members were involved on different sides <ref>{{Cite news
| last = de Bréadún
| first = Deaglán
| title = Greens will not take party stance on Lisbon Treaty
| newspaper = The Irish Times
| page = 1
| date = 21 January 2008
| url = http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2008/0121/1200605248320.html
| postscript = . }}
</ref>

Following the Irish Government's negotiation with EU member states of additional legal guarantees and assurances, and the subsequent adoption by Dáil and Seanad Éireann of the Twenty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution Bill (2009), the Green Party held another special convention meeting in Dublin on 18 July 2009 to decide its position on the second Lisbon referendum. At the meeting precisely two thirds of party members present voted to campaign for a Yes in the referendum. This was the first time in the party's history that it campaigned in favour of a European treaty.<ref name="greenparty1"/>

===Resignations in 2010===
In 2010, [[Déirdre de Búrca]], one of two Green Party Senators [[Nominated members of Seanad Éireann|nominated by Taoiseach]] [[Bertie Ahern]] in 2007, resigned from the party and her seat, in part due to the party's inability to secure her a job in the [[European Commission]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0216/1224264554511.html |title=Greens silent on de Búrca claim FF failed to honour deal – The Irish Times – Tue, Feb 16, 2010 |publisher=The Irish Times |date=16 February 2010 |accessdate=23 January 2011}}</ref> On 23 February 2010, [[Trevor Sargent]], one of six Green Party TDs, and former leader of the party from 2001 to 2007, resigned as Minister of State for Food and Horticulture due to allegations over contacting Gardaí about a criminal case involving a constituent.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0223/sargentt.html|title=Sargent resigns as Minister of State|work=[[RTÉ News]]|date=23 February 2010|accessdate=23 February 2010}}</ref>

===Withdrawal from government===
On 23 January 2011, the Green Party met with Taoiseach [[Brian Cowen]] following his resignation as leader of senior coalition partner Fianna Fáil the previous afternoon.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/23/ireland-green-party-meeting|title=Ireland's Green party considers whether to stay in government|date=23 January 2011|accessdate=23 January 2011|work=[[The Guardian]]|publisher=[[Guardian Media Group]]|location=London|first=Henry|last=McDonald}}</ref> The Green Party then announced it was withdrawing from governing the country and took its place on the opposition benches with immediate effect.<ref name="withdrawal" /> Green Party leader [[John Gormley]] said at a press conference announcing the withdrawal: {{quote|For a very long time we in the Green Party have stood back in the hope that Fianna Fáil could resolve persistent doubts about their party leadership. A definitive resolution of this has not yet been possible. And our patience has reached an end.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0124/1224288166024.html|title=Green Party statement|date=24 January 2011|accessdate=24 January 2011|work=[[The Irish Times]]|publisher=Irish Times Trust}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12262796|title=Green Party quits Irish coalition government|date=23 January 2011|accessdate=23 January 2011|work=[[BBC News]]|publisher=BBC}}</ref>}}
The party had two ministers: [[Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government|Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government]] [[John Gormley]] and [[Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources]] [[Eamon Ryan]]. These were reassigned to Fianna Fáil ministers [[Éamon Ó Cuív]] and [[Pat Carey]] respectively.<ref name="O Cuiv and Carey get vacant ministerial posts">{{cite news |url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/o-cuiv-and-carey-get-vacant-ministerial-posts-490500.html|title=O Cuiv and Carey get vacant ministerial posts|date=23 January 2011|accessdate=23 January 2011|work=[[Irish Examiner]]|publisher=[[Thomas Crosbie Holdings]]}}</ref> Green [[Minister of State (Ireland)|Ministers of State]] [[Ciarán Cuffe]] and [[Mary White (Green Party politician)|Mary White]] also resigned from their roles.<ref name="O Cuiv and Carey get vacant ministerial posts"/>

===2011 elections===
The party suffered a wipeout at the [[Irish general election, 2011|2011 general election]], with all of its six TDs losing their seats, including those of former Ministers [[John Gormley]] and [[Eamon Ryan]]. Three out of their six incumbent TDs lost their deposits. The party's share of the vote fell below 2%, meaning that they could not reclaim election expenses, and their lack of parliamentary representation led to the ending of state funding for the party.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0301/1224291080510.html |title=Failure to get votes likely to result in party's office closing |last=McGee |first=Harry |work=[[The Irish Times]] |date=1 March 2011}}</ref>

The candidates in the 2011 Seanad election were Dan Boyle and Niall Ó Brolcháin, but neither were elected, and as a result for the first time since 1989, the Greens have no representatives in the [[Oireachtas]].

[[Eamon Ryan]] was elected as party leader on 27 May 2011, succeeding John Gormley.<ref name=leader>{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0527/greenparty.html |title=Eamon Ryan elected Green Party leader |work=[[RTÉ News]] |date=27 May 2011 |accessdate=27 May 2011}}</ref> Catherine Martin, a former [[Carrickmacross]] town councillor,<ref>[http://www.carrickmacross.ie/index.php?option=com_sobi2&sobi2Task=sobi2Details&sobi2Id=1632 ]{{dead link|date=December 2015}}</ref> was later appointed deputy leader, while Ciaran Cuffe and [[Mark Dearey]] were also placed on the party's front bench.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/1211/greens.html|title=Green party announces new front bench|work=RTÉ News|accessdate=12 December 2011|date=12 December 2011}}</ref>

===2014 local and European elections===
In the [[European Parliament election, 2014 (Ireland)|2014 European election]] the party received 4.9% of the vote nationally (an increase of 3% on the 2009 result), failing to return a candidate to the European Parliament.

In the [[Irish local elections, 2014|2014 local elections]] the party received 1.6% of the vote nationally. 12 candidates were elected to County Councils, compared to 3 previously.

In the [[Irish local elections, 2014|2014 local elections]], the party gained nine seats for a total of twelve. The party was successful in the four Dublin area councils.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}

==2016 Election and Aftermath==
In the [[2016 Irish general election]], they gained 2 seats, reentering the Dàil.

On 30 May 2016, the [[Social Democrats (Ireland)|Social Democrats]] announced it had formed a [[technical group]] in the Dáil with the Green Party.<ref>http://utv.ie/News/2016/05/30/Social-Democrats-and-Green-Party-form-Dail-technical-group-59759</ref><ref>https://mobile.twitter.com/SocDems/status/737294710419644416</ref>

==Organisation==
The National Executive Committee is the organising committee of the party. It comprises the party leader Eamon Ryan, deputy leader Catherine Martin, Chair Roderic O'Gorman, Young Greens representative, Treasurer and ten members elected annually at the party convention.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greenparty.ie/en/about/structures|title=Structures of the Green Party|publisher=Greenparty.ie|date=28 March 2010|accessdate=1 January 2011}}</ref>

===Leadership===
The party did not have a national leader until 2001. At a special "Leadership Convention" in Kilkenny on 6 October 2001, [[Trevor Sargent]] was elected the first official leader of the Green Party. He was re-elected to this position in 2003 and again in 2005. The party's constitution requires that a leadership election be held within six months of a general election.

Sargent resigned the leadership in the wake of the [[Irish general election, 2007|2007 general election]] to the [[30th Dáil]]. During the campaign, Sargent had promised that he would not lead the party into Government with [[Fianna Fáil]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Sheahan, Fionnan|url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/ethical-minister-hoist-with-own-petard-2076456.html|title=Ethical minister hoist with own petard|date=24 February 2010|accessdate=24 February 2010|work=[[Irish Independent]]|publisher=[[Independent News & Media]]}}</ref> In the election outcome the party retained 6 Dáil seats, making them the most likely partner for Fianna Fáil. Sargent and the party negotiated a coalition government and at the 12 June 2007 membership meeting to approve the agreement, he announced his resignation as leader.

In the subsequent leadership election, [[John Gormley]] became the new leader on 17 July 2007, defeating [[Patricia McKenna]] by 478 votes to 263. [[Mary White (Green Party politician)|Mary White]] was subsequently elected as the deputy Leader. [[John Gormley]] served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from July 2007 until the Green Party's decision to exit Government in December 2010.

Following the election defeat of 2011, John Gormley announced his intention not to seek another term as Green Party leader. [[Eamon Ryan]] was elected as the new party leader, over party colleagues Phil Kearney and Cllr Malcolm Noonan in a postal ballot election of party members in May 2011. Monaghan based former councillor Catherine Martin defeated Down based [[John Barry (politician)|Dr John Barry]] and former Senator [[Mark Dearey]] to the post of Deputy Leader on 11 June 2011 during the party's annual convention.

The Green Party had six seats in the Irish parliament but lost them all in the 2011 general election.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0227/election.html | work=RTÉ News | title=FG looks to form Govt as final results emerge | date=28 February 2011}}</ref> Party Chairman [[Dan Boyle (politician)|Dan Boyle]] and [[Déirdre de Búrca]] were [[Nominated members of Seanad Éireann|nominated by the Taoiseach]] to [[Seanad Éireann]] after the formation of the Fianna Fáil–[[Progressive Democrats|PD]]–Green Party government in 2007 and [[Niall Ó Brolcháin]] elected in December 2009. De Búrca resigned in February 2010, and was replaced by [[Mark Dearey]]. Neither Dan Boyle or Niall O'Brolchain were re-elected to Seanad Éireann in the Seanad election of 2011, leaving the Green Party without Oireachtas representation until the 2016, where they regained 2 Dáil seats.

===Irish and European politics===
The Green Party is an all-[[Ireland|island]] party, with regional organisations in each of the [[Republic of Ireland]] and [[Northern Ireland]]. The [[Green Party in Northern Ireland]] voted to become a regional partner of the Green Party in Ireland in 2005 at its annual convention, and again in a postal ballot in March 2006.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}}) [[Brian Wilson (Northern Ireland politician)|Brian Wilson]], formerly a councillor for the [[Alliance Party of Northern Ireland|Alliance Party]], won the Green Party's first seat in the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]] in the [[Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2007|2007 election]]. [[Steven Agnew]] held that seat in the [[Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2011|2011 election]].

The Green Party is a member of the [[European Green Party]]. Though it previously held a more [[Euroscepticism|Eurosceptic]] stance than is usually articulated by most other green parties in Europe, in 2009 the party backed the [[Lisbon Treaty]] with support from two thirds of the party.<ref name="greenparty1">{{cite news |url=http://www.greenparty.ie/en/news/latest_news/greens_back_lisbon_yes |title=Greens back Lisbon Yes |author=John Gormley |publisher=Green Party |date=18 July 2009 |accessdate=31 August 2009}}</ref>

===Government record===
In almost four years in Government, from 2007–2011, the party were said to have succeeded in, among other areas, the passage of civil partnership legislation granting significant rights to [[Civil unions in the Republic of Ireland|same-sex couples]],<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0101/breaking25.html |title=Partnership law comes into effect |date=1 January 2011 |author=Paul Cullen |work=Irish Times |accessdate=16 January 2011}}</ref> the introduction of major planning reform,<ref>{{cite web
|url= http://www.greenparty.ie/en/news/latest_news/planning_bill_marks_new_era_for_how_we_plan_for_our_future_cuffe |title=Planning bill marks new era for how we plan for our future |date=15 July 2011 |author=Green Party |work=Green Party |accessdate=16 January 2011}}</ref> a major increase in renewable energy output,<ref>
{{cite web |url= http://irishenergynews.com/home/index.php/2011/01/09/new-record-for-irish-wind-power-output |title=New record for Irish wind power output
|date=9 January 2011 |work=Irish Energy News |accessdate=16 January 2011}}</ref> and a nationwide scheme of home insulation retrofitting.<ref>{{cite news
|url= http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0209/1233867927158.html |title=€100m insulation scheme to benefit 50,000 homes |date=2 February 2009
|author=[[The Irish Times]] |work=The Irish Times |accessdate=16 January 2011}}</ref>

==General election results==

===Northern Ireland===

====Devolved Legislature elections====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Election
! Body
! Seats won
! ±
! Position
! First Pref votes
! %
! Government
! Leader
|-
![[Northern Ireland Forum|1996]]
|[[Members of the Northern Ireland Forum|Forum]]
| {{Composition bar|0|110|hex={{Green Party in Northern Ireland/meta/color}}}}
| {{steady}}
| None
| 3,647
| 0.5%
| style="background:#ffd;"|No Seats
| ''None''
|-
![[Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1998|1998]]
|rowspan=5|[[Northern Ireland Assembly|Assembly]]
| {{Composition bar|0|108|hex={{Green Party in Northern Ireland/meta/color}}}}
| {{steady}}
| None
| 710
| 0.1%
| style="background:#ffd;"|No Seats
| ''None''
|-
![[Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2003|2003]]
| {{Composition bar|0|108|hex={{Green Party in Northern Ireland/meta/color}}}}
| {{steady}}
| None
| 2,688
| 0.4%
| style="background:#ffd;"|No Seats
| ''None''
|-
![[Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2007|2007]]
| {{Composition bar|1|108|hex={{Green Party in Northern Ireland/meta/color}}}}
| {{increase}}1
| {{increase}}6th
| 11,985
| 1.7%
| style="background:#fcc;"|Opposition
| ''None''
|-
![[Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2011|2011]]
| {{Composition bar|1|108|hex={{Green Party in Northern Ireland/meta/color}}}}
| {{steady}}
| {{decrease}}7th
| 6,031
| 0.9%
| style="background:#fcc;"|Opposition
| [[Steven Agnew]]
|-
![[Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2016|2016]]
| {{Composition bar|2|108|hex={{Green Party in Northern Ireland/meta/color}}}}
| {{increase}}1
| {{increase}}6th
| 18,718
| 2.7%
| style="background:#fcc;"|Opposition
| [[Steven Agnew]]
|}

====Westminister elections====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Election
! Seats (in NI)
! ±
! Position
! Total votes
! % (in NI)
! % (in UK)
! Government
|-
![[United Kingdom general election, 1983|1983]]
| {{Composition bar|0|17|hex={{Green Party in Northern Ireland/meta/color}}}}
| {{steady}}
| None
| 451
| 0.1%
| 0.0%
| style="background:#ffd;"|No Seats
|-
![[United Kingdom general election, 1987|1987]]
| {{Composition bar|0|17|hex={{Green Party in Northern Ireland/meta/color}}}}
| {{steady}}
| None
| 281
| 0.0%
| 0.0%
| style="background:#ffd;"|No Seats
|-
![[United Kingdom general election, 1997|1997]]
| {{Composition bar|0|18|hex={{Green Party in Northern Ireland/meta/color}}}}
| {{steady}}
| None
| 539
| 0.1%
| 0.0%
| style="background:#ffd;"|No Seats
|-
![[United Kingdom general election, 2010|2010]]
| {{Composition bar|0|18|hex={{Green Party in Northern Ireland/meta/color}}}}
| {{steady}}
| None
| 3,542
| 0.5%
| 0.0%
| style="background:#ffd;"|No Seats
|-
![[United Kingdom general election, 2015|2015]]
| {{Composition bar|0|18|hex={{Green Party in Northern Ireland/meta/color}}}}
| {{steady}}
| None
| 6,822
| 1.0%
| 0.0%
| style="background:#ffd;"|No Seats
|}

===Republic of Ireland===

====Dáil Éireann elections====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Election
! Seats won
! ±
! Position
! First Pref votes
! %
! Government
! Leader
|-
![[Irish general election, November 1982|1982 (Nov)]]
| {{Composition bar|0|166|hex={{Green Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
| {{steady}}
| None
| 3,716
| 0.2%
| style="background:#ffd;"|No Seats
| ''None''
|-
![[Irish general election, 1987|1987]]
| {{Composition bar|0|166|hex={{Green Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
| {{steady}}
| None
| 7,159
| 0.4%
| style="background:#ffd;"|No Seats
| ''None''
|-
![[Irish general election, 1989|1989]]
| {{Composition bar|1|166|hex={{Green Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
| {{increase}}1
| {{increase}}6th
| 24,827
| 1.5%
| style="background:#fcc;"|Opposition
| ''None''
|-
![[Irish general election, 1992|1992]]
| {{Composition bar|1|166|hex={{Green Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
| {{steady}}
| {{steady}}6th
| 24,110
| 1.4%
| style="background:#fcc;"|Opposition
| ''None''
|-
![[Irish general election, 1997|1997]]
| {{Composition bar|2|166|hex={{Green Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
| {{increase}}1
| {{increase}}5th
| 49,323
| 2.8%
| style="background:#fcc;"|Opposition
| ''None''
|-
![[Irish general election, 2002|2002]]
| {{Composition bar|6|166|hex={{Green Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
| {{increase}}4
| {{steady}}5th
| 71,470
| 3.8%
| style="background:#fcc;"|Opposition
| [[Trevor Sargent]]
|-
![[Irish general election, 2007|2007]]
| {{Composition bar|6|166|hex={{Green Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
| {{steady}}
| {{increase}}4th
| 96,936
| 4.7%
| style="background:#cfc;"|Coalition <small>(FF-GP-PD)
| Trevor Sargent
|-
![[Irish general election, 2011|2011]]
| {{Composition bar|0|166|hex={{Green Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
| {{decrease}}6
| None
| 41,039
| 1.8%
| style="background:#ffd;"|No Seats
| [[John Gormley]]
|-
![[Irish general election, 2016|2016]]
| {{Composition bar|2|158|hex={{Green Party (Ireland)/meta/color}}}}
| {{increase}}2
| {{increase}}8th
| 56,999
| 2.7%
| style="background:#fcc;"|Opposition
| [[Eamon Ryan]]
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Sustainable development|Environment|Ecology}}
*[[:Category:Green Party (Ireland) politicians]]
*[[Green party]]
*[[Green politics]]
*[[Young Greens (Ireland)|Young Greens]]
*[[List of environmental organizations]]
*[[List of political parties in the Republic of Ireland]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.greenparty.ie/ Green Party official website]
*[http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.greenparty.ie/en/content/download/13260/155495/file/Manifesto_full.pdf Green Party 2007 election manifesto] (from the Wayback Machine)
*[http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0612/election.html RTÉ News: FF and Green Party agree programme for government (12 June 2007)]

{{Political parties in Ireland}}
{{Green parties}}

[[Category:Green Party (Ireland)| ]]
[[Category:Green parties in Europe]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1981]]
[[Category:Political parties in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:European Green Party]]
[[Category:Global Greens member parties]]
[[Category:All-Ireland political parties]]

Revision as of 14:18, 1 July 2016

{{Infobox political party |country = the Republic of Ireland |country2 = Northern Ireland |name = People's Democratic Socialist Party |native_name = Páirtí Sóisialach Daoine Dhaonlathach |leader = Evan Pereira TD |leader1_title = Northern Ireland Assembly leader |leader1_name = N/A MLA |ideology = Democratic Socialism
Soft Euroscepticism
Anti-Corruption
Anti-Capitalism |position = Left-Wing |european = European United Left–Nordic Green Left |international = Global Greens |europarl = |colours =     Green, White, Orange, Red and Gold |colorcode = Template:PDSP (Ireland)/meta/color |seats1_title = Dáil Éireann

|seats1 =

10 / 158

|seats2_title = Seanad Éireann

|seats2 =

3 / 60

|seats3_title = Northern Ireland Assembly

|seats3 =

4 / 108

|seats4_title = Local government in the Republic of Ireland

|seats4 =

12 / 949

|seats5_title = Local government in Northern Ireland

|seats5 =

3 / 462
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_Party_(Ireland)&oldid=727830976"