Green Party councillor Malcolm Noonan and former Green minister Eamon Ryan have been joined by a third runner in the contest for the leadership of the Green Party.
General Election candidate Phil Kearney threw his hat into the ring before nominations for the position of leader to succeed former minister John Gormley closed last Friday. The election will conclude in three weeks time.
Green chairman and former senator Dan Boyle confirmed he would not be seeking the leadership, despite widespread speculation that he was likely to put his name forward. He is due to chair an upcoming three-way debate of the candidates in the coming weeks.
The candidates were required to collect 50 member nominations each in order to be permitted to put their name on the ballot sheet. Ballot sheets are to be distributed to eligible voters within the party in coming days and they have until May 27 to return the postal ballots.
Mr Kearney, a psychotherapist and farmer, is a member of the party’s national executive committee. The party’s deputy national co-ordinator, he was an unsuccessful general election candidate in the Dublin Central constituency and has contested the local elections on two occasions.
Mr Ryan served as minister for communications, energy and natural resources in the last government since 2007, but lost his Dublin South Dáil seat in February. He was first elected as a TD in 2002.
Cllr Noonan sits on Kilkenny County Council and Kilkenny Borough Council, having recently concluded his term as mayor of Kilkenny city. He has been an environmental activist for 20 years.
