The Green Party leader has suggested a 'green wave' across Europe has led to the party's apparent strong showing in the local and European elections.
Eamon Ryan told Newstalk Breakfast while it was too early to say whether it will be a good day for his party, he was optimistic.
It comes after an exit poll suggested a big rise in support for The Green Party.
Green candidates are on course to get elected in all three European constituencies - and it has polled 9% in the local elections.
It’s looking like a very good morning for @EamonRyan and @greenparty_ie. We hear his thoughts on air after 8am https://t.co/yuFI1iYMiJ pic.twitter.com/MKdQ93iKmH
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) May 25, 2019
In his first interview after the exit poll predictions, Mr Ryan suggested a 'green wave' in Ireland is reflecting what is happening in other European countries.
He told Susan Keogh: "There is a green wave of public consciousness in Ireland, and we've been waiting for it for a long time."
"It's been happening throughout Europe and indeed other parts of the world - the Greens have been on the rise in Germany, Holland, Belgium, Sweden and all these countries - and it landed I think in Ireland in the last six months or a year.
"It's to do with a whole range of different things: it is those climate strikes.
"It's those young people standing up and saying we have to protect nature, that's our future, our future is threatened.
"And I think that actually affected public consciousness".
"It wasn't just a young vote - in my experience, just going out and I was on a lot of doors all over the country - it actually found a huge number of older people... listening to that and responding".
"The wave will come in and come out, but the overall tide of thinking around 'protecting nature is protecting ourselves' and protecting our island as part of a global challenge that everyone has to do is actually in the Irish consciousness".
"It's not just an Irish story today - because actually if we send three, the Dutch Greens who did really well (and) looks like they're going to get three elected, so we would be as strong as the Dutch Greens in the European Parliament.
"And actually we think the Greens in the European Parliament are going to have a pivotal role".
He also spoke about their European Parliament candidate, Saoirse McHugh:
