Cork councillors give new party leader Roderic O’Gorman the Green light

Green Party members in Cork city have expressed confidence in their new party leader Roderic O’Gorman following his successful election.

He was described locally as “driven” and a person with “energy and vision” who represents “long standing understanding of the goals and principles of the party”.

The Green Party leadership contest was triggered after Eamon Ryan announced he was standing down after 13 years at the helm and would not be contesting the next general election.

Mr O’Gorman, the Minister for Children and Integration, and Minister of State Senator Pippa Hackett both put their names forward to succeed Mr Ryan.

At a press event in Bewley’s Cafe in Dublin city on Monday, it was announced that Mr O’Gorman had won 52% of the votes of 1,896 Green Party members who cast their votes between July 4-7.

He won 72 more votes than Ms Hackett.

Grow

“As leader, I want us to hold our seats, I want us to grow our seats,” Mr O’Gorman said as he set out his vision for the party.

“This is a challenge, but in the Green Party, we’ve never been afraid of the challenge.

“I want to win in every part of Ireland, because only by winning votes, by winning seats, do we have the capacity to implement those vital policies, we have to be out there fighting for every number one, fighting for every preference.

“I believe people vote for the Green Party because they know we can be counted on to get stuck in, to actually deliver. That’s what we’ve done. That’s what we’re continuing to do.” 

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Lord Mayor of Cork Green Party councillor Dan Boyle said he was “happy” Mr O’Gorman was elected the new leader.

“He represents long standing understanding of the goals and principles of the party, and deep commitment to the future we must work towards,” he said.

Driven

Meanwhile, Green Party councillor in the city’s North East ward Oliver Moran lauded Mr O’Gorman as a “driven” politician and a person with integrity.

"For as long as I've known him, I've seen how driven Roderic is by the party he now leads, what we stand for, the vision we share, and how hard he works so that that vision is something tangible in the real world.

"Over the past four years, I've seen another side of him too, as he has endured personal attacks to deliver policies that this party stands for in circumstances where most other people would walk away.

“That's a rare kind of mettle and it demonstrates another depth to a man who I have always seen put other people before him,” he told The Echo.

Meanwhile, ahead of Mr O’Gorman’s election as party leader, newly elected Green Party councillor in the city’s South East ward Honore Kamegni said he believed him to have the “leadership, energy and vision” to drive the party forward.