GE2024: Bruising election for the Green Party but McMenamin insists the 'issues are too important to give up and go away'

It was a bruising general election for the Green Party with the party losing all but one of the 12 seats it held nationally, and the result for the party in Meath West saw the party's vote also plummet, albeit from a relatively low base.

It was Navan GP Seamus McMenamin's third time to run for the Greens in Meath West and this time he polled just 568 first preferences or 1.5 per cent, down from a solid 4.7 per cent in 2020 and he was one of six candidates eliminated after the first count.

"It is disappointing but the Green Party are here for a reason and that reason is still there. The issues are too important for us to give up and go away, so we will be building the party back up again," he said.

Cllr Ronan Moore of the Social Democrats was delighted with his performance taking almost eight percent of the vote up from 5.7 in the 2020 general election.

"My vote has been growing across the constituency, the party has grown nationally and we are taking additional seats. I am excited about the future of the Social Democrats as a party and we will be working to build on these results."

It was the first time that People Before Profit Solidarity had run a candidate in Meath West and their candidate Finbar Lynch was happy with his 505 votes and said his "expectations were very much realistic" and that Meath West wasn't an area where they had been targetting a seat.

"We've got a few new members involved in the campaign and for us that is what it is about. We are starting from scratch here. We didn't have a presence in the area and we are looking to build it up."

The Labour Party's candidate Sandy Gallagher polled 420 votes and said she was happy with her result and that she hoped to build on it in the future.

"I didn't run a big campaign so I'm delighted that people came out to vote for me and gave me a first preference as a first time candidate in this area. So I have a lot to build on.

“I hope to continue to work for the area and run a bigger campaign. Once people know there is a Labour candidate out there and we are going to get back the Labour vote hopefully sooner rather than later."

The other candidates eliminated after the first count included Ben Gilroy (Liberty Republic) on 416 votes, Ian McGauley (The Irish People) on 216 votes and Damien Reilly (Ind) on 203 votes.