Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Social Democrats \u2013 which, over the past decade, has become a major force in Irish politics.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the milestone, acting leader Cian O\u2019Callaghan TD said:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is with a sense of great pride that we mark our first decade as a party today. The party was founded in 2015 on principles of equality, accountability and social justice \u2013 core values that we still hold dear today.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs co-leaders, Catherine Murphy and R\u00f3is\u00edn Shortall oversaw the rapid expansion of the Social Democrats, with 19 councillors elected in 2019 and the number of TDs tripling to six in the general election the following year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe party entered a new chapter in March 2023 when Holly Cairns became leader. Under Holly\u2019s leadership, we almost doubled our number of council seats – to 35 \u2013 and similarly nearly doubled our D\u00e1il seats to 11. Earlier this year, Patricia Stephenson became the first candidate to win a seat for the party in the Seanad \u00c9ireann elections.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we mark this special occasion today, I would like to sincerely thank all our supporters, members, staff and public representatives for their work, friendship and commitment over so many years.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday is the party\u2019s 10th anniversary, so it is appropriate that we look back on all the party has achieved. However, I am mindful of the many challenges facing the country. In areas like housing, healthcare, climate action, disability services and the cost-of-living \u2013 too many people are being failed and left behind.<\/p>\n
\u201cSocial democracy, at its core, is about human dignity. Protecting those fundamental elements that provide every member of society with dignity and opportunity. Essentials like housing; healthcare and childcare should be accessible to all. Regrettably, under successive Fine Gael and Fianna F\u00e1il governments \u2013 which have failed to sufficiently invest in critical public services – this is far from the reality.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the past 10 years, the Social Democrats have not just pointed out the problems that we face as a country \u2013 we have proposed credible solutions. Solutions that would help us deliver the homes, clean energy and quality public services that we so desperately need. Now, more than ever, we must continue this work with the intention of forming a government that embodies social democratic principles.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn politics, we must think about the society we want to see – not just in the immediate future. But, in ten, twenty and, thirty years\u2019 time \u2013 because the decisions we make today will shape that future. I remain unashamedly ambitious about that better future, and the role the Social Democrats can play in building it.\u201d<\/p>\n
July 15, 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Social Democrats \u2013 which, over the past decade, has become a major force in Irish politics. Commenting on the milestone, acting leader Cian O\u2019Callaghan TD said: \u201cIt is with a sense of great pride that we mark our first decade as a party today. The party was founded […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13112,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[278,7,728],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cian-ocallaghan","category-press-release","category-social-democrats"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n