Former Mayo Green Saoirse McHugh to run in European Elections

Achill-based former Green Party election candidate Saoirse McHugh has announced that she will run in the European election as an Independent candidate.

The native of Dooagh on Achill Island will contest the European Parliament elections in the Midlands-Northwest constituency.

The former Green Party member told the Sunday Independent that she will be making a return to politics with the rise of the far right one of the main reasons for deciding to run.

“The rise of the far right is the biggest change in politics in the last five years. We have people setting fire to buildings to stop people living in them. And there are a lot of people out there who are giving a lot of cover to this and I think it’s really dangerous.”

“But one thing I have learned since first entering politics is that social media is not reality. If you get out and knock on doors, the vast majority of people are sound, they want to get on with their neighbours and community,” she said.

McHugh was once a shining light in the Green Party and came to prominence during the 2019 European Elections when she narrowly lost out on a seat for the European Parliament. She ran in the 2020 General Election in Mayo where she won 6 percent of the total vote and was eliminated on the fifth count.

However,later that summer she left the Green Party due to a disagreement over the decision by the party to go into a coalition government with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and at the time described the party as toxic.

She will enter a crowded field in a bid to win one of the five seats on offer in the Midlands-Northwest constituency which comprises of the counties of Cavan, Donegal, Galway, Kildare, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo, Laois, Offaly and Westmeath.

The current sitting MEPs are Independent Luke 'Ming' Flanagan, Maria Walsh and Colm Markey of Fine Gael and Sinn Féin's Chris McManus.

Fianna Fáil are running three candidates with Mayo-based Senator Lisa Chambers joining Brian Cowen TD and Senator Niall Blaney on the ticket while former jockey Nina Carberry will join Maria Walsh on the Fine Gael ticket after Markey opted not to seek reelection. Current Fermanagh/South Tyrone MP, Michelle Gildernew from Co Tyrone will join Chris McManus on the Sinn Féin ticket while former RTÉ midlands correspondent Ciaran Mullooly will run the Independent Ireland party and Galway Senator Pauline O'Reilly will run for the Green Party.