The Green Party’s support in the local elections has collapsed, with all of its representatives on city and county councils in Dublin losing their seats.
It has lost four seats in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, three in Fingal and two in South Dublin. In addition, its sole seat on Dublin City Council has gone.
Outside the capital, the party, which won a total of 18 seats in 2004, has lost its seats in Carlow and one in Galway City. Former mayor of Galway, Niall O Brolcháin, who was tipped as a future TD, lost out in Galway city.
Only three Green Party councillors have been elected so far - Brian Meeney in Clare, Mark Deery in Louth and Malcolm Noonan in Kilkenny.
The party's share of the vote has dropped from 3.7 per cent in the last local elections in 2004 to 2.4 per cent this year.
Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan said today the result was a "real body blow" for the party but it would not be deterred from working in the national interest.
"We're highly disappointed. We're licking our wounds at the moment," Mr Ryan said. "It's a real body blow to the party and to our candidates who worked hard and put themselves up for election. But we're still very determined and full of conviction in terms of our political vision and our policy agenda while in Government."
Party leader and Minister for the Environment John Gormley said last night the party’s National Executive Council is to meet this week to discuss the forthcoming review of the Programme for Government.
Speaking to reporters at the election count in the RDS, Mr Gormley described the results as “extremely disappointing”. But he said withdrawal from government would not be on the agenda for the NEC meeting: “That doesn’t arise.”
The Minister said he was encouraged when he heard Taoiseach Brian Cowen's comment, in response to the election results, that the Government had to listen very carefully to what people were saying.
"I hope that we can build a more just and equal society as a consequence of the review because I think that is what has angered people quite a lot and certainly this is what I was picking up at the doorstep, that they still feel that there are people out there in the banks, etc, who seem to be getting away with it, so to speak, and that they are bearing the brunt of it," Mr Gormley said.
"We'll be discussing these issues in a lot of detail. I think you'll appreciate that this has been an extremely disappointing election," Mr Gormley said.
"We will have to listen carefully to what members up and down the country are saying and take that on board before we enter any negotiations."
Asked if the possibility of withdrawing from government would be on the agenda, he replied: "That doesn't arise. What we have to do is look at how we actually renegotiate now a Programme for Government."
Asked if he regarded the latest elections as a referendum on the Government, he said: "I think it was clearly an indication that some of the decisions that we have taken were deeply unpopular, there's no doubt about that."