GREEN PARTY LEADER Eamon Ryan has just won a seat in Dublin Bay South, bringing the party up to two seats in the 32nd Dail.

His deputy Catherine Martin was a surprise winner of a seat in Dublin Rathdown yesterday, knocking out Fine Gael’s Alan Shatter.

Martin, speaking to TheJournal.ie yesterday after her win in the three-seat constituency, said that she had spent the last four years canvassing:

The Greens are back in town and there’s a new Green there too. Why I did it all along is to get that Green voice restored, it’s been sorely missed. I believe that’s why I was elected.

The Greens suffered catastrophe in the 2011 election when all six of its TDs lost their seats. The return of two seats and a vote share of up to 3% means that they now have State funding restored to the party.

Ryan, following his win in Dublin Bay South, remarked:

I think we are the first party to lose all its seats in the Dáil and to come back.

He said that it proves that “money isn’t everything”.

It’s been a really big voluntary effort for five years with nothing, with no resources but with people.

Though his party will have just two seats in the Dáil, he told RTÉ he still believes they can make a difference.

“Two voices in opposition, if we’re really progressive…I think you can do a lot.”

Fine Gael’s Eoghan Murphy also took a seat in the constituency – he had a total of 8,023 votes to Ryan’s 8,788 – the quota was 7,941.

Jim O’Callaghan of Fianna Fáil and Kate O’Connell for Fine Gael took the final two seats, neither reaching quota.

‘The Greens are back in town’: a revitalised party>

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