Pippa Hackett and Roderic O’Gorman will contest the leadership of the Green Party. The Minister of State for agriculture completed the formalities, handing in the required 60 signatures prior to Monday evening’s deadline, as did O’Gorman, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

Originally from Mayo, Hackett is bidding to become the first Green Party leader based outside Dublin. She runs an organic drystock farm in Geashill in Offaly, with her husband Mark, neighbouring the current home of the Green Party’s founder Christopher Fettes.

Elected to Offaly County Council five years ago, Hackett was elected to the Seanad in Nocvember 2019. She finished sixth in the five-seat Laois-Offaly constituency in the 2020 general election. Having been re-elected to the Seanad, she was appointed to cabinet as a “super-junior” Minister of State with responsibility for land use and biodiversity, a post that includes forestry and organic farming.

Dublin West TD O’Gorman is not without farming links, as his father is from a farming background, with cousin Barry O’Gorman a well-known dairy farmer near Thurles.

Already, the pair have disagreed over O’Gorman’s suggestion that the Green Party should form a left alliance with Labour and the Social Democrats.

The deputy leadership will be contested by TDs Neasa Hourigan and Ossian Smyth and Clare-based senator Roisín Garvey.

Minister Roderic O'Gorman and Green Party deputy leader, Minister Catherine Martin, at the Green Party Annual Convention 2022. \ Myles Shelly

McGrath for Commissioner

Meanwhile, Michael McGrath will be nominated by the Irish Government to be Ireland’s next European Commissioner.

He is succeeded as Minister for Finance by Dublin West TD Jack Chambers. Chambers was also announced as the new deputy leader of Fianna Fáil, a role that had been vacant since 2020.

McGrath has long been seen as a potential future Fianna Fáil party leader.

While a low-key politician, his heavyweight status improves the chance of Ireland gaining a senior commissionership.

At only 47, he becomes the youngest Irish commissioner since Michael O’Kennedy in 1981.

McGrath, an accountant by profession, has served in two key economic portfolios in this Government, and is more likely to get an economic portfolio than that of agriculture or environment, the two positions so pivotal to farming.