Former Minister Eamon Ryan has been elected as the new leader of the Green Party.

He held off the challenges of two other candidates, Kilkenny Councillor Malcolm Noonan and party activist Phil Kearney.

Speaking after he was elected – the former Dublin South TD said  the Green Party would set out on the road to recovery and win back the trust and support of the Irish people.

Ryan said: “We’ll be supportive of the government and obviously wishing us out of this economic crisis as soon as we can.

“But at the same time, we have a long-term vision for this country, a sustainable future for this country – avoiding the boom and bust that we’ve seen in recent years. And as much as we will support the government, we recognise that just three months into office, they don’t get the green agenda.”