‘We feel so lucky’ — Holly Cairns announces she is expecting first child with partner

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns has announced she is expecting a baby girl with her partner Barry Looney.

The party leader took to social media on Saturday to announce the news, which she said had been “harder to keep under wraps”.

“I am overjoyed to let you know that my partner Barry and I are expecting a baby,” the TD wrote on Instagram.

“We are so happy and feel so lucky because this is something we have wanted for a long time.”

Ms Cairns said while she was delighted share the news but said her pregnancy journey had not been straightforward.

“While I’m delighted to share this news now, I was initially hesitant because like so many other couples hoping to start a family, ours has not been a straightforward journey.

“But all the signs look good for this pregnancy so we are really hopeful,” Ms Cairns said.

The Cork South-West TD became leader of the Social Democrats in March 2023 and is the youngest party leader in the Dáil.

While Ms Cairns said she wasn’t the first mother to balance work life and her role as a parent, she said she was grateful to be the leader of a party “who are so supportive of parents”.

“I’m definitely not the first woman to juggle work and a baby, but I also know I have a very unique job as leader of a political party,” Ms Cairns said.

“That’s why more than ever, I feel very grateful to belong to a party who are so supportive of parents and passionate about making sure we get #MoreMná into politics,” she added.

Ms Cairns also noted the results the Social Democrats enjoyed at the local elections and looking forward to leading the party into the next election.

“I feel so lucky to have such a great team around me, and this, along with the amazing results from last weekend, makes me more excited than ever to lead the Social Democrats into the next election,” she said.

Get ahead of the day with the morning headlines at 7.30am and Fionnán Sheahan's exclusive take on the day's news every afternoon, with our free daily newsletter.