MARTIN STEPS DOWN AS GREENS DEPUTY LEADER

Catherine Martin has stepped down as Deputy Leader of the Green Party in the wake of the departure of party leader Eamon Ryan. The Carrickmacross woman, a TD for Dublin Rathdown and the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, was initially tipped as Mr Ryan’s likely successor but in a media statement she ruled herself out of the leadership race and said she had decided to “step back” from the party’s deputy leadership. She said: “My warm wishes and gratitude to Eamon for his dedicated leadership of the Green Party.

He is rightly regarded both in Ireland and well beyond as a trailblazing green leader. It has been an honour and privilege to work closely with him as Deputy Leader of the Green Party over the past 13 years, during which time we collaborated with our grassroots membership in rebuilding the party. “I am looking forward to continuing to work with Eamon and my Parliamentary Party colleagues in playing our role in providing both stable and effective government, which is crucial at this time for our country and it allows us to fulfil, consolidate and deliver further vital green goals.

At this time my focus is my ministerial portfolio and representing the people of Dublin Rathdown, two great privileges. I am looking forward to delivering further real and critical change in my capacity as Minister. I will continue to serve with pride the people of Dublin Rathdown in collaboration with our three Green Party councillors in this constituency and I look forward to running there in the next General…