GE2024 ge24SOCIAL DEMOCRATS LEADER Holly Cairns has given birth to a baby girl today.
Cairns shared the news in a post on Instagram this afternoon, saying: “She’s here. We’re completely in love with her.”
The Instagram post featured a photo of a beaming Cairns holding her newborn daughter.
Social Democrats TD for Wicklow Jennifer Whitmore congratulated her party leader in a post on X.
“This is the most gorgeous news! Congrats Holly and Barry,” Whitmore said.
Whitmore was asked earlier this week by RTÉ’s Paul Cunningham if the Social Democrats’ campaign had been hindered by Cairns’ being restricted to online campaigning in recent days.
Whitmore responded by saying: “Women have babies. That’s just reality and it’s life and we have to support them.”
“If we want more women to run, when women do get pregnant, we need to step around them a support them and I think that’s why we’re such a strong team.
“We have all worked together, we have all done our bit,” she said.
I asked Wicklow candidate @WhitmoreJen if the @SocDems #GE24 campaign had been hindered by leader @HollyCairnsTD being restricted to online campaigning in recent days: @rtenews pic.twitter.com/mAdG60vzDI
— Paul Cunningham (@RTENewsPaulC) November 27, 2024
“If we want a different kind of politics, we have to work and operate differently and the Social Democrats are living that,” Whitmore said.
“We’re showing it and I think we’re probably the only party in the country that would have dealt with it in this way and dealt with it so supportively of our leader, who is doing an incredible job from where she is based at the moment.”
Tánaiste and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has also congratulated Cairns in a post on X, saying the birth of her daughter was “wonderful news”.
Congratulations @HollyCairnsTD and Barry!
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) November 29, 2024
Wonderful news.
Cherish and enjoy every moment with your beautiful new baby girl.
“Cherish and enjoy every moment with your beautiful new baby girl,” he said.
It is understood that Cairns is very unlikely to be able to vote today.
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