Roger Garland

Roger Garland (born 1933) who was educated at Castleknock College, was the Green Party's first candidate to be elected to Dáil Éireann in the 1989 general election. He represented Dublin South until 1992. In the 2002 general elections Green Party politician Eamon Ryan was elected to represent that same constituency. One of his Dáil advisors was Patricia McKenna who later became one of Ireland's first Green MEPs. He is not only known for being the first Green Party Teachta Dála (TD) but also for campaigning against the Single European Act.

The success of Roger Garland was built on with the election of 13 councillors in the June 1991 Local Elections. On Dublin Corporation the Greens formed a governing coalition, the Civic Alliance, to run the capital city. Garland lost his seat with a dramatic fall in his vote. In 1989 he received 8.8% and in 1992 he received 3.8% which is among the lowest votes for a sitting TD. In the 1994 European Elections, Garland backed an independent Green candidate over the official Green candidate, Nuala Ahern, in the Leinster constituency. Ahern went on to win the seat, to the surprise of many, and an attempt was made to throw Garland out of the party for his disloyalty. Garland is still a member of the party, but is not active within it, and has not stood for any election since 1992. Some of Garland's conservative views also conflicted somewhat with members of the party during his time in the Dáil. Following the 2007 general election Garland was one of the leading internal critics of the Greens' decision to enter coalition with Fianna Fáil.

He is currently chairman of the Keep Ireland Open (KIO) group.

He is also a current member of the environmental board of An Taisce the National Trust For Ireland, its most influential environmental body.

External links

* [http://www.keepirelandopen.org/ Keep Ireland Open]
* [http://www.antaisce.org/ An Taisce] – National Trust for Ireland
* [http://www.greenparty.ie/ Green Party]