Independent Ireland Sees Surge in Membership

0:00That's your update from Europe News Today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Independent Ireland is seeing a massive surge in membership right now, sparked by those big fuel crisis protests last week. Party leader Michael Collins says they've had a flood of interest, including from folks in the major government parties, pushing their numbers up by. About 40 percent, Collins broke it down on RTE, noting dissatisfaction among members of Fianna Fail, and fine gale, with counselors reaching out mostly from Fianna. Fail. He expects some of those talks to lead to new candidates soon. The party's holding its annual conference in Galway this weekend, right after the protests gave them a real boost. Their website almost crashed from all the traffic, showing just how hot things are getting. One big win is counselor Noel Thomas, who swish from Fianna Fail, to run for them in next month's Galway West by election. Not every outreach will stick, but Collins is optimistic about fresh faces joining the ranks. As they gear up for more action,

1:01this momentum could shake up the local scene, big time, with eyes on those upcoming announcements.