'We want to go in and change things': Holly Cairns feels momentum grow in Social Democrats

In the wake of the presidential result, Holly Cairns was tagged as a potential Tánaiste herself in a left-leaning government, but she insists her party is not looking at roles. Picture: Gareth Chaney

In 2019, Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns announced her arrival in politics in headline-grabbing fashion.

After four days and two full recounts, her election to Cork County Council was finally confirmed amid high drama.

Ms Cairns had won by a single vote, having initially lost by the same margin.

For someone who knows the value of a single vote, Ms Cairns found herself in the strange position of not being able to vote for herself in the last Dáil election. 

On polling day, she was, of course, rather preoccupied in Cork University Maternity Hospital, in labour with her first child, a daughter.

"We'd made a plan for her arriving before polling day and after polling day. It just seemed statistically unlikely that she would arrive on polling day," Ms Cairns told The Irish Examiner.

As Ms Cairns and her partner welcomed a baby girl into the world, the Social Democrats were on course to take an impressive 11 seats in the general election, just 20 months into Ms Cairns' stint as party leader.

"I have to say, my biggest fear was that I would be in labour during the count. But the other one was polling day. 

"It was really surreal. People always tell you what labour is like, particularly when you're so visibly pregnant, but you can't explain what it's like until you experience it. 

"It was obviously just such an amazing day, personally and politically. 

"When she arrived, it just like blew our hearts wide open. It was so amazing. You're so just blown away by it.

"But then to have a situation where my phone would be going off with messages — 'It looks like Pádraig Rice is going to do it in Cork', or 'Cian O'Callaghan topped the poll', and 'Jen Cummins is in!' — all these things going on at the same time. It was a surreal experience.

And truthfully, if I could change it and do the two on different days, I definitely would.

Ms Cairns had flagged well in advance that she would be taking maternity leave, but her leave had barely started when the party found itself in the midst of a controversy. 

Newly elected Eoin Hayes was suspended from the parliamentary party with immediate effect after he admitted lying about when he sold shares in a controversial US company that has been providing the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) with AI tools.

Ms Cairns says that Mr O'Callaghan, who as deputy leader was leading the party in her absence, kept her abreast of everything.

"Cian kept me up to date with all important information and decisions around the party when I was on maternity leave, including that one and, yeah, I was really disappointed when I heard."

For a party — and a party leader — that had been on the forefront of issues related to Israel's genocide in Gaza, the issue was a blow. 

"I was disappointed. I think it was undoubtedly a difficult time for the party. But just to be clear, we will continue to lead on that issue (condemning Israel), and I'll be back out on Molesworth Street with a megaphone. It didn't take away from that for any of us in the party.

"It was quite a serious sanction, and Eoghan has apologised, and I think he deserves a chance now to earn people's trust back."

Holly Cairns said that party member Eoin Hayes 'deserves a chnce to earn people's trust back'. Picture: Leon Farrell/

With that incident put to bed, Ms Cairns' return to her role was then overshadowed as pictures emerged from a fancy dress party in 2009, of Mr Hayes wearing 'blackface' makeup, apparently an attempt to dress up as Barack Obama. 

Ms Cairns says blackface "is racist" but that Mr Hayes' acknowledgement of his actions as "reprehensible and idiotic" was important. 

She insists any issues within her parliamentary party are squared away.

"I think it was a really hard time, but I think we've come out stronger from it. 

In political parties, there are always going to be issues like this, and it's how we deal with them. How do we learn from them? How do we come through them? 

"I'm really excited to work together as a team."

Her work will take on a new impetus after the Social Democrats' role in Catherine Connolly's presidential election. 

The party was the first to back the Galway woman and Ms Cairns admits that the focus now must be about harnessing the energy of those 15,000 volunteers and attracting as many as possible into her camp.

As someone who herself was energised by the Repeal campaign, Ms Cairns saw parallels with the presidential race.

"There was so many feels of Repeal during the Connolly campaign. I suppose the comparison that stood out for me the whole way through was the people who were being mobilised. It was a lot of younger people who hadn't maybe engaged in politics or campaigning in that style before.

"The feeling and the energy was of hope, that change is possible. I think we had that feeling that reverberated for quite a while after Repeal, that change was possible.

"It had started to dissipate and it's just amazing that Catherine's campaign has brought it back, because change is possible.

We've always called for vote left and transfer left, so that we can have a different type of government.

"If people who are really motivated by the vision Catherine had for a more progressive Ireland, for a more inclusive one, all the voices that she wanted to raise, it is there. 

"It's in those people, in you, the reader, getting involved. I really hope that people who felt energised and hopeful from the campaign will get involved in politics."

The Social Democrats will field their own candidate for the Galway West by-election, but Ms Cairns says her party will continue to ask people to transfer left.

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns With newly elected President Catherine Connolly and Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald in September of this year. File picture: Niall Carson/PA

She was buoyed by Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald's comments to the Irish Examiner in September where she said that her own party hadn't done the work to build a cohesive left last year.

"It's great to see them come on board with vote left, transfer left. We hope all left parties will encourage voters to do that. 

"I think it can have a really strong impact, and hopefully will have an impact on the next government."

Ms Cairns has this week been strident in her criticism of Tánaiste Simon Harris's comments on immigration, after he said there was a limit to what Ireland can do to help migrants. 

Ms Cairns said the comments are "an obvious reaction" to Fine Gael's loss in the presidential campaign, and that "they've just amped up their 'tough on immigration' language". 

It's not just irresponsible to do that, it's actually reprehensible, because it's in a really delicate environment.

In the wake of the presidential result, Ms Cairns was tagged as a potential Tánaiste herself in a left-leaning government, but she insists her party is not looking at roles.

"We would like to see a change in the status quo. 

"We know we live in a prosperous country. We live in a great country. We shouldn't be in a situation where we have threadbare disability aervices, over 16,000 homeless people, including over 5,000 children. They're our focuses. 

"We want to go in and change those things, and I really hope that we can see a change after the next election."