Saoirse McHugh
Born in the United States,[5] McHugh moved aged two to her father John's native village of Dooagh on Achill Island, where she was raised.[11] McHugh had only recently joined the Green party, and made little impact in the election until an RTÉ television debate in the final days of the campaign,[12] when she challenged independent candidate Peter Casey.[23] In June 2020, the party leadership proposed the draft programme for government with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to a vote of the membership.McHugh opposed the proposal, stating that it was not "Greener business as usual", and that "a true Green New Deal recognizes that action to combat climate change will not be successful unless it simultaneously ushers in social and economic reforms that will distribute opportunity more fairly and tackle inequality".McHugh has argued the solution lies in dismantling capitalist structures altogether, which puts her a odds with the majority of the Green Party.She has expressed disappointment with the Greens’ gradualist stance, particularly when the party chose to enter a coalition government with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil following the 2020 general election.She argues that true feminism cannot support capitalism, as women bear a disproportionate burden under it, and that it must oppose policies that allow suffering, such as tax avoidance and migrant deaths.She has emphasised what she feels are the greater challenges faced by migrants and women of colour in accessing reproductive healthcare, stressing that feminism must uplift all disadvantaged groups together.