The Green Party’s Galway West by-election candidate is considering selling shares worth €40,000 in the IT firm he works for because of its links to the Israeli military.
The former councillor had declared a share holding worth €12,700 in his declaration of interests when he served on Galway city council from 2020 to 2024, but the value of this asset has soared by more than 200 per cent since then.
Niall Murphy said employee shares in Cisco – part of his renumeration package after working in the multinational’s Oranmore office as a software engineer for 16 years – are a contentious issue among staff of the 70,000-strong, global workforce. Around 200 work in Galway.
In 2024, an employee petition urged Cisco’s board to cease business ties with the Israeli military, and accused it of “genocide profiteering”. Murphy said he signed the Bridge to Humanity (B2H ) petition last year.
“Yes I appreciate the suggestion that I consider selling these shares [and donating to victims of war causes] but I won’t be bounced into it until after the election campaign,” he said, speaking to the Advertiser. “I understand the allegation of being hypocritical because of my public opposition to the illegal actions of the Israeli military, but I am not sure where exactly the ethical boundary is, as more than twenty per cent of Irish people work for multinationals, and they are so big: many have links with Israel – so does that mean all those people can’t stand for election too?” he said.
Murphy’s share holding in Cisco – which he declared six years ago, was re-published by The Ditch investigative journalism website last week.
In a statement, Murphy said his work in Cisco was on a communications product similar to WhatsApp, and had nothing to do with military technology.
“While I am proud to work for Cisco, I would certainly not agree with all actions taken throughout the company. I want it to change, and some of that pressure can come from employees, but it is also hugely important that we as a country pass the Occupied Territories Bill to influence the behaviour of large businesses,” he said.
Murphy is a member of Tonn na Clé’s ‘Vote Left, Transfer Left’ campaign of six by-election candidates.
These are Sheila Garrity (Ind ), Mark Lohan (SF ), Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich (SD ), Helen Ogbu (Lab ) and Denman Rooke (PBP ).
In response to The Ditch article, the People Before Profit by-election candidate, Rooke, called on Green Party supporters to demand a new Galway West candidate.
“This is not the Left fighting itself. It is the Left defining itself. We still need a Vote Left Transfer Left. But what does ‘Left’ mean, if not for the principles we stand for? It must be one that stands up against genocide and war and its profiteering.”
The Green Party said it is “fully backing” Murphy’s candidacy.
“It is not the policy of the Green Party to only run candidates that are not employed by multinational companies,” said a spokeswoman, adding that 28 per cent of Irish workers, comprising 47 per cent of the industrial workforce, work for multinationals.
“Niall has protested on several occasions against the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Within his workplace, he has – along with colleagues – supported representations to his company about [its] trading in Israel. Even though he is not in any decision-making role regarding Cisco’s trading... he encourages anyone in a position, no matter how minor, to speak up when they see an injustice done.”
Last month, Murphy was photographed protesting outside Pearse Stadium in Salthill, where the Galway Palestine Solidarity Campaign called on the GAA to end its sponsorship deal with international insurer Allianz because of its subsidiary in Israel.
Cisco, a US tech giant which specialises in IT networks, owns an Israeli subsidiary with well documented links to Israel’s military, police and civil service.
This subsidiary is reportedly staffed by many veterans of Israel’s Unit 8200, the Israeli army’s signals intelligence corps which monitors communications. It provides the network cybersecurity hardware for David’s Citadel, the controversial Israeli government command centre buried beneath a residential neighbourhood in Tel Aviv where military targeting is conducted.
In 2024, the Social Democrats suspended its Dublin Bay South TD, Eoin Hayes, for eight months after it emerged he had provided incorrect information about the timing of his sale of employee shares in Palantir, a technology company with links to the Israeli and US militaries. Hayes had worked for Palantir for two years, and sold his 7,000 shares for a pre-tax figure of €199,000.
