Cork TD and Soc Dems leader Holly Cairns announces she is expecting her second child

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns has announced she is expecting her second child.

She welcomed her first child with her partner, Barry Looney, in November 2024, on the same day as the general election.

She returned from maternity leave in September for the new Dáil term.

In a statement this afternoon, she announced that she is pregnant and confirmed that she will take maternity leave from October.

“I am so happy to announce that we are expecting our second child,” she said.

“Barry and I are so excited and feel extremely lucky to be able to raise our family in West Cork.

“I have always said that having a family should not be disqualifying for a political party leader and I am very grateful to have the support of our parliamentary party and my constituents in Cork South-West.

“Our deputy leader, Cian O’Callaghan, will step into the role of acting leader in October for the duration of my maternity leave.”

The West Cork woman was recently named the most popular party leader among voters, with her Social Democrats party also increasing support in the most recent opinion poll.

The Cork South-West TD, whose party gained a Dáil seat with the promotion of Daniel Ennis in the recent Dublin Central by-election, now has personal approval rating of 47, while the Social Democrats is up two points to 10% support.