Delegates' views: The Green convention in Salthill saw the biggest deployment of high-chairs at an Irish political event as delegates brought their toddlers en masse to the annual meeting.
If middle-aged political animals dominate the scene when other parties meet, a wilderness of babies seemed to take over the lobby at the Green event. There were more nappies than suits; more jig-saws than pints. "It says something about a party with different values. There are more efforts to accommodate families," said Mr David Hutchinson-Edgar from Tallaght, west Dublin. As if to illustrate the point, Mr Hutchinson-Edgar was minding the baby while wife Shauna, a local election candidate, attended Saturday's afternoon session.
The style of the Greens is indeed different, but the movement's ambitions to take part in Government are no different to its opponents. To that end, there is a growing sense of professionalism.
"I'm impressed that there's such a broad and comprehensive platform. It's not just the same old news every year," said Ms Ann Crowley from Cork North-West. "What impresses me is that the party is a cohesive whole."
Membership now stands at more than 1,200 and the party will run more than 130 candidates in the local election. Delegates were confident.
"If right is right, if there's any sense of fair play in this country, then Fianna Fáil should suffer greatly in the forthcoming elections for their many sins," said Mr Noel Butler from Cork.
For Mr Butler, the ridiculing of the Greens at the Fianna Fáil Ardfheis as a party of urbanites hectoring to rural people was a smokescreen. "I think they see us as a threat because we have exposed their policies."
Mr Butler supports the Greens for their policies on transport and the environment. On the EU, he said: "The Greens are positive Europeans. At the same time that doesn't mean we're going to the whole road of militarisation. The ordinary people in the EU, I don't think that's what they want."
Similarly, Ms Úna Ní Bhroin saw much to be positive about in the EU. "What we're bringing up is debate," she said. "There are democracies in Europe for a lot longer than here and there are a lots of forward-looking people in Europe."
Based in east Galway, Ms Ní Bhroin ran in the general election last time out for the Greens. She believes Labour does not embrace the broader spectrum of issues. "It doesn't cover community, environment and labour issues together. It only covers one branch of the tree."
As with many Greens, Ms Ní Bhroin sees the party's agenda coming to the fore. "Good ideas always come from the margins. Eventually they are subsumed into the mainstream. In 1910, someone who wanted to vote for women would have been considered a bit mad. Now it's in the mainstream."
