The Shantalla-based politician formally quit her party last week, just days after Soc Dem TD Eoin Hayes was readmitted to the so-called ‘purple party’ after an eight-month suspension for being opaque about his investment in a company providing software to the Israeli military.
Speaking exclusively to the Galway Advertiser, Seoighthe said she intends to continue the rest of her term, to 2028, as a non-party councillor.
“I resigned from the [Social Democrats] because internal party politics were beginning to affect my work life, politics and my personal life. I am not ready to explain everything now, as I’m still reflecting in the aftermath, and I did not expect my resignation to be announced [in the national media] so publicly,” she said. “I will continue representing the people of Galway Central, and after being away for a few days, I’m out and about talking to them again,” she said.
The Irish Times broke the news of Seoighthe’s resignation last week, linking it with the reinstatement of Deputy Hayes.
Asked whether the return of Hayes, who represents Dublin Bay South, was the “party politics” reason for her resignation, Seoighthe replied: “No comment.”
Last December, it emerged that Hayes held shares in Palantir, a technology company which reportedly provides Artificial Intelligence software to the Israel Defence Forces which assists in target selection.
Seoighthe has been a long-time advocate of the Palestinian cause, and friends say her interest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict predates her move into party politics.
Responding to rumours that Seoighthe had voiced some interest in joining another party with a firmer stance on Palestine – likely the Labour Party – especially if a senatorship was offered to her, the Mayo native dismissed the proposition as “baloney”.
The Social Democrats’ other Galway representative, City Councillor Alan Curran, did not respond to calls, and the Salthill schoolteacher appears to be out of the country. He recently decried the proposed use of AI in marketing material for Galway City Council, and his view on Hayes’ readmittance to his party’s fold remains unknown.
Curran had previously ruled out a run for the Dáil last autumn, citing work pressure, but if Catherine Connolly TD is elected to the presidency in November, he is likely to be the party’s choice for a bye-election in Galway West, now that Seoighthe is gone, and a left-leaning seat may be available.
In 2023, former Galway city councillor for the Social Democrats, Owen Hanley, also resigned from the party, and resigned his council seat.
Meanwhile, in a statement released on social media last week, Martha Ní Riada, who was administrative assistant to the Soc Dem’s acting party leader, Cian O’Callaghan TD, announced her resignation from the party, citing its decision to lift Deputy Hayes’ suspension.
