Saoirse McHugh

Last updated

Saoirse McHugh (born 23 June 1990) [1] [2] is an Irish environmentalist and former Green Party politician. From Achill Island in County Mayo, she holds degrees in genetics and sustainable agriculture.

Contents

McHugh was a Green Party candidate in the 2019 European Parliament election in Ireland, the 2020 Irish general election and 2020 Seanad election. She was unsuccessful in each case.

She has described herself as "an environmentalist, a democratic socialist, and a grower", [3] and her political goal as "some beautiful eco-socialist utopia". [4] She left the Green Party in July 2020.

Personal life

Born in the United States, [5] McHugh moved aged two to her father John's native village of Dooagh on Achill Island, where she was raised. [6] [7] As of 2020, she lived on Achill with her partner Colm Cafferkey, also an Achill native. [4]

She holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in genetics from University College Dublin and a Masters in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security from Lancaster University. [4] [3]

She has spoken publicly about her difficulty with bulimia, [8] which began when she was 13 years old. [7] She did not seek medical assistance for the bulimia until she was in her twenties, and described her first meetings with doctors as "awful experiences". [8]

Political career

2019 European Parliament election

McHugh first stood for political office at the 2019 European Parliament election, as a Green Party candidate in the Midlands–North-West constituency. [9] She was motivated to stand by her view of the need to combat climate change, saying that "we are running out of time". [6] Her aunt's home in Achill had been destroyed by a storm in 2014, and McHugh began lobbying politicians of all parties to take action. [6] However, when she lamented to Green Party leader Eamon Ryan that her efforts had little effect, Ryan persuaded her that the remedy was stand for election herself. [6] [10] Ryan later took a bet on her election, staking €50 on odds of 50/1. [11]

McHugh had only recently joined the Green party, and made little impact in the election until an RTÉ television debate in the final days of the campaign, [12] when she challenged independent candidate Peter Casey. [13] "Millionaires blaming migrants is an old trope and it's boring," said McHugh. She also jokingly advised Casey to "go on Dancing with the Stars if you want attention that much." [14]

On election night, opinion polls showed McHugh having 12% of the first-preference vote; this was described by the media as "unexpected", because McHugh was a first-time candidate. [15] This opinion polling was associated with a "Green Wave", which saw increased support for the Green Party at the time. [16] In the election itself, McHugh received 51,019 (8.58%) first-preference votes, placing her sixth out of seventeen candidates.

2019 Seanad by-election

There was speculation from some party members that McHugh would run for the Seanad seat on the Agricultural Panel which fell vacant in May 2019 when Green Party senator Grace O'Sullivan won a seat in the European Parliament. [2] Several senior Greens praised her ability to "attract cross-party support", and believed that a seat in the Seanad would help her to win a seat in Dáil Éireann at the next general election. [5]

McHugh had support from party leader Eamon Ryan, who said he would "love it" if she was elected. [5] He described her as "hugely talented and committed particularly around the issues of rural development, farming and food policy". [17]

However, Pippa Hackett, a councillor on Offaly County Council, received the party's nomination to compete for that position, [18] and was elected unopposed. [19] Later in 2019, McHugh stated that she was opposed to a coalition government between the Green Party and Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. [20]

2020 elections

McHugh was nominated in the Mayo constituency for the Green Party at the 2020 general election. She finished seventh in the four-seat constituency, receiving 6.5% of the first-preference vote. [21] She also contested the March 2020 Seanad election as the only Green Party candidate on the five-seat Cultural and Educational Panel, polling second on the first count, but was not elected. [22] In December 2020, she recalled how some Green Party Teachtaí Dála (TDs) had refused to vote for her, while people from other parties had promised her a lower preference vote. [23]

Resignation from Green Party

In June 2020, the party leadership proposed the draft programme for government with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to a vote of the membership. McHugh opposed the proposal, stating that it was not "Greener business as usual", and that "a true Green New Deal recognizes that action to combat climate change will not be successful unless it simultaneously ushers in social and economic reforms that will distribute opportunity more fairly and tackle inequality". [24] [25] [26]

McHugh left the Green Party the following month, along with other young members. [27] She stated on Twitter that it would "turn my stomach" to remain in the Green Party. [28] [29] [30] The Irish Times reported that while McHugh had a lot of support from younger Greens, she "irritated" others who portrayed her as "big on rhetoric". [31] Her departure coincided with the party's leadership election, and the party's deputy leader Catherine Martin, who had narrowly failed in her leadership challenge, asked "Why are we losing good people, and what can we do to change that? Maybe we have to reform the party in some way". [32] Later in 2020, other prominent younger Greens also left the party. [33]

Described by TheJournal.ie as one of the most high-profile former members of the Green Party, [23] McHugh has remained critical of the coalition government's environmental policies. In December 2020, she told TheJournal.ie, "When you look at what the government is coming out with in terms of climate, they may as well be climate change deniers". [23] She continued environmental activism since leaving party politics, including writing on the benefits of rewilding. [34] [35] [36]

She is contesting the 2024 European Parliament election as an independent candidate in the Midlands–North-West constituency. [37]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Party (Ireland)</span> Irish political party

The Green Party is a green political party that operates in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It holds a pro-European stance. 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 adopted its current English language name in 1987 while the Irish name was kept unchanged. The party leader is Eamon Ryan, and the deputy leader is Catherine Martin and the cathaoirleach (chairperson) is Pauline O'Reilly. Green Party candidates have been elected to most levels of representation: local government, Dáil Éireann, the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the European Parliament.

Sinn Féin is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivana Bacik</span> Leader of the Irish Labour Party (born 1968)

Ivana Catherine Bacik is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been Leader of the Labour Party since 24 March 2022 and a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Bay South constituency since winning a by-election on 9 July 2021. Bacik previously served as Leader of the Labour Party in the Seanad from 2011 to 2021, and a Senator for the Dublin University constituency from 2007 to 2021. She previously served as Deputy leader of Seanad Éireann from 2011 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia McKenna</span> Irish former politician (born 1957)

Patricia McKenna is an Irish independent and former Green Party politician. She served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Dublin constituency from 1994 to 2004. She is a practising barrister having been called to the Bar in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young Greens (Ireland)</span> Youth political organisation in Ireland

Young Greens is a youth political organisation in Ireland that acts as the youth branch of the Green Party and the Green Party in Northern Ireland. As a youth party they focus on issues that affect young people including access to education, affordable housing, drug policy, LGBTQI+ rights and reproductive rights.The Young Greens believe in social and economic justice for all as well as environmental sustainability for the future.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clare Daly</span> Irish politician (born 1968)

Clare Daly is an Irish politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the Dublin constituency since July 2019. She is a member of Independents 4 Change, part of The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Déirdre de Búrca</span> Irish former politician

Déirdre de Búrca is an Irish former Green Party politician who served as a Senator from 2007 to 2010, after being Nominated by the Taoiseach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leo Varadkar</span> 14th Taoiseach (2017–2020; 2022–2024)

Leo Eric Varadkar is an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2017 to 2020 and from 2022 to 2024, as Tánaiste from 2020 to 2022, and as leader of Fine Gael from 2017 to 2024. A TD for the Dublin West constituency since 2007, he has held a range of other ministerial positions in the Irish government. His political stances have been described as centre-right economically; he has advocated free markets, lower taxes, and welfare reform. On social issues, he supported successful constitutional referendums to legalise same-sex marriage and to liberalise Ireland's abortion laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Wallace</span> Irish politician (born 1955)

Michael Wallace is an Irish politician and former property developer who has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the South constituency since July 2019. He is a member of Independents 4 Change, part of The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wexford constituency from 2011 to 2019.

Mary Finlay Geoghegan is a retired Irish judge and lawyer. She was appointed to the High Court in 2002 and promoted to a newly established Court of Appeal from 2014. She became a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland from 2017, before retiring in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorraine Clifford-Lee</span> Irish politician (born 1981)

Lorraine Clifford-Lee is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as a Senator since June 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Marshall (politician)</span> Northern Irish farmer and former politician (born 1968)

Ian James Marshall is a farmer and former Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) politician from Markethill, County Armagh, in Northern Ireland. He is from a unionist background and campaigned against Brexit. He was elected to Seanad Éireann in Dublin in 2018, but lost his seat in the 2020 Seanad election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pippa Hackett</span> Irish politician (born 1974)

Pippa Hackett is an Irish Green Party politician who has served as a Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine since June 2020. She is one of three Ministers of State in attendance at cabinet, but without a vote. She has been a Senator for the Agricultural Panel since November 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazel Chu</span> Irish Green Party politician (b. 1980)

Hazel Chu is an Irish Green Party politician who has been a member of Dublin City Council since May 2019. She was elected Cathaoirleach (chairperson) of the Irish Green Party in December 2019, and was succeeded by Senator Pauline O'Reilly in December 2021. She was the first Irish-born person of Chinese descent elected to political office on the island of Ireland. She served as Lord Mayor of Dublin from 2020 to 2021, and in doing so became the first person of Chinese ethnicity to be mayor of a European capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neasa Hourigan</span> Irish politician (born 1980)

Neasa Hourigan is an Irish Green Party politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Central constituency since the 2020 general election. She was Chair of the Committee on Budgetary Oversight from September 2020 until being suspended from the parliamentary party in March 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pauline O'Reilly</span> Irish politician (born 1974/1975)

Pauline O'Reilly is an Irish Green Party politician who has served as a Senator for the Labour Panel since April 2020 and Cathaoirleach of the Green Party since December 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Seery Kearney</span> Irish politician

Mary Seery Kearney is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as a Senator since June 2020, after being nominated by the Taoiseach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Róisín Garvey</span> Irish politician (born 1973)

Róisín Garvey is an Irish Green Party politician who has served as a Senator since June 2020, after being nominated by the Taoiseach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Dublin Bay South by-election</span> 2021 by-election in Dublin Bay South constituency in Ireland

A by-election was held in the Dáil Éireann constituency of Dublin Bay South in Ireland on Thursday, 8 July 2021, to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of the Fine Gael TD Eoghan Murphy. The by-election was won by Senator Ivana Bacik of the Labour Party.

A by-election was held for the Seanad Éireann Dublin University constituency in Ireland in March 2022. Ballot papers were issued on 25 February and polls closed at 11 a.m. on 30 March 2022. The election was won by former army officer and whistleblower Tom Clonan.

References

  1. ↑ McHugh, Saoirse [@saoirse_mchugh] (22 June 2021). "Anyways I'm 31 tomorrow" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 23 June 2021 – via Twitter.
  2. 1 2 Mcconnell, Daniel (5 June 2019). "Green Party candidate Saoirse McHugh may contest Seanad seat". Irish Examiner . Cork. ISSN   1393-9564. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Saoirse McHugh - About". saoirsemchugh.ie. Saoirse McHugh. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Murphy, Adrienne (5 February 2020). "Rider on the Storm: Interview with Saoirse McHugh". Hot Press . Dublin. ISSN   0332-0847. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 "Green Party candidate Saoirse Mchugh may contest Seanad seat". Kildare Nationalist . 6 June 2019. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 McGreal, Edwin (22 January 2019). "Achill woman running for Europe". The Mayo News . Westport. Archived from the original on 24 January 2019.
  7. 1 2 Horan, Niamh (31 January 2021). "Saoirse McHugh: I weighed myself four times a night, I would binge for days and purge until my blood vessels burst - I was obsessed" . Sunday Independent . Dublin. ISSN   0039-5218. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Saoirse McHugh speaks out on 'awful experiences' while seeking help for bulimia". Newstalk. 28 January 2021. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  9. ↑ "Candidates for European election". Mayo Returning Officer. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  10. ↑ "Eamon Ryan on Saoirse McHugh". Newstalk. 25 May 2019. Archived from the original on 1 September 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2022– via YouTube.
  11. ↑ Calnan, Denise (25 May 2019). "'I had a bet on Saoirse McHugh at 50/1' - Eamon Ryan hopeful for Green's future in Europe". Irish Independent . Dublin. ISSN   0021-1222.
  12. ↑ Staines, Michael; White, Barry (25 May 2019). "Saoirse McHugh – 'Green Wave' voters demanding "top-down change" on climate". NewsTalk . Archived from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  13. ↑ Kelly, Aoife (22 May 2019). "'Pass Casey the aloe vera' - Green Party's Saoirse McHugh impresses debate viewers in clash with Peter Casey". Irish Independent . Dublin. ISSN   0021-1222. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  14. ↑ McGee, Harry (22 May 2019). "Green Party's Saoirse McHugh unexpected star of European election debates". The Irish Times . Dublin. ISSN   0791-5144. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  15. ↑ Ó Cionnaith, Fiachra (25 May 2019). "Newcomer McHugh set for shock seat in Midlands North-West". Irish Examiner . Cork. ISSN   1393-9564. Archived from the original on 19 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  16. ↑ Fitzgerald, Cormac (25 May 2019). "Green Party surge". TheJournal.ie . Dublin. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  17. ↑ Loughlin, Elaine; Ó Cionnaith, Fiachra (12 July 2019). "Eamon Ryan wants Saoirse McHugh to run for Greens in Seanad by-election". Irish Examiner . Cork. ISSN   1393-9564. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022.
  18. ↑ Commins, Michael (24 September 2019). "Ballindine native looks set to secure Senate seat". The Mayo News . Westport. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020.
  19. ↑ "Green Party's Pippa Hackett elected to the Seanad". RTÉ News . 1 November 2019. Archived from the original on 3 September 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  20. ↑ Ó Cionnaith, Fiachra. "Green Party's Saoirse McHugh warns against going into coalition". Irish Examiner . Cork. ISSN   1393-9564. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  21. ↑ "Mayo: 2020 General Election". Irelandelection.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  22. ↑ McNulty, Anton (31 March 2020). "Chambers elected to Seanad, McHugh misses out again". The Mayo News . Westport. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  23. 1 2 3 Ryan, Órla (26 December 2020). "Interview: Saoirse McHugh on why being able to say 'I told you so' gives her no comfort whatsoever". TheJournal.ie . Dublin. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  24. ↑ O'Halloran, Marie (20 June 2020). "Saoirse McHugh and three others appeal to Green members to reject deal". The Irish Times . Dublin. ISSN   0791-5144. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  25. ↑ "Four Green Party members sign open letter opposing Programme for Government". Irish Examiner . Cork. 20 June 2020. ISSN   1393-9564. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  26. ↑ Wall, Eva (16 June 2020). "Former Fianna Fail deputy leader Eamon O Cuiv and Green Party candidate Saoirse McHugh to vote against programme for Government". extra.ie. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  27. ↑ "Catherine Martin urges party unity after leadership bid defeat". Irish Examiner . Cork. 24 July 2020. ISSN   1393-9564. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022.
  28. ↑ McHugh, Saoirse [@saoirse_mchugh] (23 July 2020). "Thread on leaving the greens: I have left the Green Party. I doubt that's a surprise to most people" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 23 July 2020 – via Twitter.
  29. ↑ McHugh, Saoirse [@saoirse_mchugh] (23 July 2020). "The @JTG_ie are an affiliate group that has been set up. While I am not involved with them anymore (I couldn't stomach being affiliated with the greens) I support and understand what they are doing" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 23 July 2020 – via Twitter.
  30. ↑ Leahy, Pat (23 July 2020). "Ex-election candidate Saoirse McHugh quits Greens saying electoral politics alone doesn't work". The Irish Times . Dublin. ISSN   0791-5144. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  31. ↑ McGee, Harry (23 July 2020). "Green Party leadership decided but fault lines exposed". The Irish Times . Dublin. ISSN   0791-5144. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022.
  32. ↑ McGee, Harry; Leahy, Pat (24 July 2020). "Green Party deputy leader urges younger members to 'stick with us'". The Irish Times . Dublin. ISSN   0791-5144. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022.
  33. ↑ Moore, Aoife (21 October 2020). "Greens risk being sunk by two unforeseen icebergs". Irish Examiner . Cork. ISSN   1393-9564. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022.
  34. ↑ McHugh, Saoirse (16 August 2021). "Rewilding is one of the best solutions we have in fight against climate collapse". Irish Examiner . Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  35. ↑ Murray, Daniel (2 May 2021). "Saoirse McHugh's Five Degrees of Change: 'I couldn't in good conscience continue to take flights'". Sunday Business Post . Archived from the original on 12 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  36. ↑ Crosson, Kayle (28 May 2021). "Saoirse McHugh on rural Ireland & climate action". Green News. Archived from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  37. ↑ "Nominations for European Election". Galway City Returning Officer. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.