First elected to the Dáil in 2020, and the only woman TD to be returned from any constituency in Cork in the last general election, Holly Cairns was one of the most high-profile newcomers to enter Leinster House that year and one of the few to command a national profile.
Cairns (33) is seen within the Social Democrats as commanding a broad appeal while her national profile has been built on debates on issues like domestic violence, abortion and mother and baby homes. Lately, she has spoken out on the abuse faced by politicians.
In January, she spoke out about how she was left “absolutely terrified” when a persistent online stalker began to show up at her home. Cairns said she has been forced to get CCTV for her home and a domestic security system. She also outlined how she has been advised by gardaí not to run a constituency clinic, because it would involve advertising where she would be at specific times.
She also said she might never have run for election had she known the level of abuse she would face in the course of her job.
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“[Am I] glad I didn’t know? One hundred per cent. Because I don’t regret it. But honestly, had I known... probably, no, I wouldn’t have done it.”
A trained horticulturalist, along with her mother Madeline McKeever, she ran a 30-acre mixed farm comprising a small number of cattle, seed production and forestry on the Turk Head peninsula near Baltimore and Schull in west Cork.
The catalyst for her entry into mainstream political life was the referendum on the Eighth Amendment held in 2018. The experience of canvassing for the campaign spurred Cairns and two friends, Pamela Weaver and Clare O’Reilly to set up a branch of the Social Democrats in west Cork to offer local voters an alternative to the established parties and Cairns was selected as the candidate for the Bantry Electoral Area in the 2019 local elections.
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Her local political profile rose rapidly and she became involved in the Save Our Skibbereen (SOS) campaign against a proposed plastics factory which was ultimately successful, as well as campaigns against large-scale kelp harvesting in Bantry Bay and another against a proposed mussel farm. When the local elections came, she won a council seat by a single vote.
From the start she made it clear she would not follow the established order, turning down an offer to become mayor in return for supporting Fine Gael. Just nine months later she was standing for election again, this time for a Dáil seat.
To her frustration, the fact that she was in a relationship at the time with Fianna Fáil candidate Christopher O’Sullivan seemed to attract more attention than anything else – she likened the experience to being in a bad romantic comedy – but after eight counts she was elected again. She was only the second woman ever elected in west Cork in an election that saw Fine Gael fail to take a seat in the constituency for the first time in more than 60 years.
Within the Social Democrats, Cairns has been seen by many as the next leader for some time.
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Dublin Central TD Gary Gannon last week described her as a “generational politician”, saying: “She appeals to a multitude of different demographics and age groups. I think she is absolutely fabulous.”
Clontarf-based councillor Catherine Stocker praised Cairns as having a “wow factor”.
She said Cairns is “an incredibly capable politician, obviously very articulate, very, very good at getting her point across.”
Stocker added: “She has huge vision and she is I suppose representative of a whole different generation brought to life by those marriage equality and repeal referenda.”
Councillor Ross O’Connell, who was co-opted on to Cork County Council to replace Cairns when she was elected to the Dáil, says he has known her since they attended Schull Community College together.
He backed her as “perfect for the role [of leader]” adding: “Like Róisín and Catherine, she is hard-working, high profile, approachable and genuinely believes in a better Ireland for all.”
