Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman declared that the “Green tide was rising again,” referencing the recent by-election win for Hannah Spencer in the Manchester constituency of Gordon and Denton, which he believes shows that hope can prevail, reports RTE.
Mr. O’Gorman was addressing the Green Party’s annual conference in Kilkenny.
He expressed hopes that the party could build on this momentum in upcoming by-elections, where they are fielding candidates in Dublin Central and Galway West, reports RTE.
However, following the loss of 11 of its 12 seats in the last general election, he acknowledged that the party has significant rebuilding to do.
“People also see what this government is doing. They see their retreat from key environmental issues, and people didn’t vote for that,” he said, reports RTE.
“None of that was set out in the manifestos of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in the last General Election, they didn’t say they were going to roll back on the progress that was made,” he continued, reports RTE.
“And I think in the two by-elections coming up, people will reflect on that, reflect on maybe giving those issues greater prominence by putting more green voices in the Dáil,” he told RTÉ.
Senator Malcolm Noonan, from Kilkenny, expressed his pleasure with the turnout of over 300 delegates at the convention.
“We’re very much focused on rebuilding our project, from the grassroots back up. We were here before, back in 2011, and we did it again. And we think we’re needed in Irish politics,” he said, reports RTE.
He also noted a rollback by the government on issues related to climate, nature, and water quality.
In his speech, Roderic O’Gorman accused the current government of gas-lighting the electorate over unfulfilled general election promises, particularly concerning disability services and the delivery of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) in schools, reports RTE.
He stated that to succeed in the future, the party had devised a new strategic plan, which includes winning back seats on councils, in the Dáil, and in Europe.
He emphasized that the party’s message needed to be more focused, membership needed to grow, and fundraising needed to improve, reports RTE.
Mr. O’Gorman said that politics in 2026 had become one of reaction, accusing the government of appealing to its most conservative instincts while attempting to “mask its inaction, its lack of direction, by grand, performative gestures.”
He criticized the government’s move to protect children under 16 from social media by claiming it was nothing more than a “woolly commitment” to lobby the EU for action, while running a pilot programme.
“This is kicking the can down the road,” he said, reports RTE.
He also accused the government of scapegoating vulnerable people regarding migration, making life harder for those granted status in Ireland seeking to reunite with their families.
Mr. O’Gorman pointed out the “elephant in the room” was the over-reliance on private accommodation providers, noting that his party had started a roadmap to address this, which the government had failed to continue, reports RTE.
“This government has a massive majority and yet it has done nothing over the last 14 months. It has a record as a ‘do nothing’ government,” he said, reports RTE.
“They’ve raided the climate nature fund that was put aside to deal with some of the big challenges our country faces in terms of supporting nature and making changes for climate,” he added, reports RTE.
He argued that reducing emissions would ultimately save the country money, as missed climate targets would have to be paid for.
He also criticized the Government for claiming to support a two-state solution for Palestine while using every delaying tactic possible regarding the delivery of the Occupied Territories Bill, reports RTE.
Regarding US President Donald Trump, Mr. O’Gorman said his policies were impacting Europe and Ireland.
“Like most peddlers of easy solutions to difficult problems, they have sought to devalue and dehumanize people instead of offering anything that will improve people’s lives,” he said, r r
Asked about today’s bombing attacks by the US in Iran, he remarked that while the Iranian regime had killed thousands of its own citizens, “Trump isn’t bombing Iran out of concern for Iranians. He’s bombing Iran to try to distract from the big issues, the political pushback he is facing on the cost of living in the United States and, indeed, as a distraction to the ongoing Epstein scandal,” reports RTE.
In her speech, the Green Party’s newly elected deputy leader, Hazel Chu, stated that while Ireland is wealthier than ever, daily life is becoming “more congested, more expensive, and more uncertain.”
She mentioned that the Green Party aims to address this through more public transport projects, including the Waterford-Wexford rail line, the Finglas Luas, and Galway BusConnects, reports RTE.
She also argued that safe cycle routes were not about culture wars but about giving young people the freedom to travel. She said the party needed to rebuild to ensure these policies could be implemented.
Many delegates and party members indicated that the Green Party is interested in re-entering government, but only if more of its policies can be implemented in a future programme for government, reports RTE.
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