Minister Catherine Martin has become the latest Green Party TD to lose her seat in General Election 2024, in a further blow to the party.
Ms Martin was eliminated in Dublin Rathdown on the 9th count - meaning she will not be in the Dáil for the first time since 2016.
However, her party leader Roderic O'Gorman held on to the fifth and final seat in his Dublin West constituency after he was deemed elected on the final count.
Mr O'Gorman fought a tight race and his seat is the only seat that the Green Party has in the Dáil so far.
Roderic O'Gorman has been elected and retains his seat becoming the only Green Party TD heading into the 34th Dáil.
— Sheila Naughton (@SheilaNaughton1) December 1, 2024
He has beaten Ellen Troy of Aontú on the final count, without reaching the quota.#Election2024 @rodericogorman pic.twitter.com/xA953aGlbn
As it was announced that Ms Martin lost her seat in Dublin Rathdown, there was silence in the count centre. Ms Martin was not present at the count centre in Ballinteer Community School.
However, she was at the count centre yesterday where she said she was disappointed by her showing in the polls but accepted the decision of the electorate.
Martin 'surprised' by result
Speaking yesterday, she said she was "surprised" by the result.
She told RTÉ News: "I'm surprised this time. I could understand it somewhat in 2011 because I felt maybe the Greens at that stage could have delivered a little bit more, and I felt we had the experience and learned from that."
Ms Martin also defended the Green Party's record in government saying she was "proud" of their achievements since 2020.
The candidates who took the remaining seats in Dublin Rathdown were Social Democrats' Sinéad Gibney, Fine Gael’s Maeve O’Connell and Fianna Fáil’s Shay Brennan.
Read more: Well-known names among TDs who fail to retain seats
In the 2020 election, a green wave returned 12 Green Party TDs to the Dáil, however, they have suffered a near wipeout this weekend.
Yesterday, junior ministers Ossian Smyth and Joe O'Brien lost their seats in Dublin Fingal West and Dún Laoghaire, respectively, while another junior minister, Malcolm Noonan, lost his in Carlow-Kilkenny today.
Ms Martin's husband Francis Noel Duffy also lost his seat in Dublin South-West.
Patrick Costello failed to hold his seat in Dublin South-Central, Neasa Hourigan lost out in Dublin Central, Brian Leddin lost his in Limerick City and Marc Ó Cathasaigh was not reelected in Waterford.
Steven Matthews was the final Green left in contention, but he lost out on the eighth count in Wicklow.
Former party leader Eamon Ryan retired ahead of this election, with his replacement Hazel Chu missing out in Dublin Bay South.
'Tough day' for Greens - Noonan
Mr Noonan said that it had been a "tough day" for his party across the country.
Mr Noonan served as a Minister for State representing Carlow-Kilkenny and was eliminated in the eighth count.
He said: "We've had a very good run in government, we’ve been responsible, we brought in 12 TDs in 2020 and took on many challenging areas.
"As a party, we have to reflect back on what has been a very, very difficult election for us, and I think if there's a trend emerging out of this election, it is that the smaller parties got squeezed very significantly."
He said that his party leaves behind a "positive legacy" and the hope of a renewal in the Green Party.
