Groen (political party) party thus ran under the name Anders Gaan Arbeiden, Leven, En Vrijen (English: going to work, live and have sex differently), improvised and not entirely serious, but legally correct. After the 2003 election defeat the party renewed its political profile. This also involved a name change to Groen! (English: Green!). The name conveyed a closer alliance to the worldwide green movement with the word green and an independent and positive nature with exclamation mark. In January 2012 the party underwent another name change by removing the exclamation mark from the end of its name. As a traditional green party, the
Green Party (Ireland) regional branch of the party the previous year. It currently has two representatives in the Assembly. The party's first electoral outing was at the November 1982 general election when seven candidates contested under the "Ecology Party" banner, winning 0.2% of the vote. Following a name change, it contested the 1984 European elections, with party founder Roger Garland winning 1.9% in the Dublin constituency. The following year, it won its first election when Marcus Counihan was elected to Killarney Urban District Council at the 1985 local elections. The party nationally ran 34 candidates and won 0.6% of the vote. The party