Editing Progressive Democrats (section)

===McDowell leadership and demise===
On 7 September 2006, Mary Harney announced that she was stepping down as leader of the Progressive Democrats. She expressed a wish to stay on as Minister for Health.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0907/harneym.html|title=Harney steps down as leader of PDs|work=[[RTÉ News]]|date=7 September 2006|access-date=16 February 2008|archive-date=9 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409182723/http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0907/harneym.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On 10 September, Michael McDowell was elected unopposed as Party Leader, having been nominated by [[Tom Parlon]] and that nomination being seconded by [[Liz O'Donnell]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.progressivedemocrats.ie/press_room/2033/|title=Michael McDowell confirmed as Progressive Democrats Party Leader|work=Progressive Democrats website|date=11 September 2006|access-date=16 February 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071120093338/http://www.progressivedemocrats.ie/press_room/2033/|archive-date=20 November 2007}}</ref> Liz O'Donnell became Deputy Leader and Tom Parlon became Party President.

The [[2007 Irish general election|2007 general election]] was a disastrous one for the party. The Progressive Democrats lost six of their eight seats in the 166-seat [[Dáil]]. Among those to lose their seats were party leader Michael McDowell, deputy leader Liz O'Donnell and party president Tom Parlon.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0525/election6.html|title=McDowell quits amid chaotic election for PDs|work=[[RTÉ News]]|date=25 May 2007|access-date=16 February 2008|archive-date=17 January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117175415/http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0525/election6.html|url-status=live}}</ref> McDowell retired from public life after he lost his seat, and Mary Harney was asked by the party chairperson to resume the role of party leader.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mary Harney asked to resume PD leadership|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0527/pds.html|work=[[RTÉ News]]|date=27 May 2007|access-date=27 May 2007|quote=The Chairman of the Progressive Democrats, Peter Wyer, has asked Mary Harney to assume the functions and responsibilities of party leader until the formation of the next Government.|archive-date=30 May 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070530172410/http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0527/pds.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The following month, Tom Parlon announced that he was also leaving public life and would take up the position of Director General of the Irish Construction Industry Federation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0710/pds.html|title=Parlon quits PDs for construction industry job|work=[[RTÉ News]]|date=10 July 2007|access-date=16 February 2008|archive-date=22 January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080122050626/http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0710/pds.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

A committee headed by former Senator [[John Dardis]] recommended in September 2007 that the role of leader be taken on by a senator or councillor (although the party rules then required that the position must be held by a TD).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/0928/breaking44.html|title=PDs set to broaden leadership criteria|author=Boyes, Nicola|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|date=28 September 2007|access-date=16 February 2008|archive-date=20 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520112036/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/0928/breaking44.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A meeting of the party's General Council on 16 February 2008 changed the rules to allow any senator, councillor or any party member with the support of 20 other members to stand for the party's leadership<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0216/pds.html|title=PDs change leadership rules|work=[[RTÉ News]]|date=16 February 2008|access-date=16 February 2008|archive-date=26 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226113928/http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0216/pds.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and on 17 April, Senator [[Ciarán Cannon]] was elected leader, defeating fellow Senator [[Fiona O'Malley]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.progressivedemocrats.ie/press_room/2434/|title=Senator Ciaran Cannon is the new leader of the Progressive Democrats|work=Progressive Democrats|date=17 April 2008|access-date=17 April 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303193413/http://www.progressivedemocrats.ie/press_room/2434/|archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref>

The party's two remaining [[Teachta Dála|TD]]s, [[Mary Harney]] and [[Noel Grealish]], entered into coalition government with [[Fianna Fáil]] and the [[Green Party (Ireland)|Green Party]] in the [[30th Dáil]]. The party never recovered from this electoral collapse. On 8 November 2008, with all parliamentary members (two TDs and two Senators) and founder Desmond O'Malley united in the opinion that the party was no longer politically viable, delegates to a special conference in [[Mullingar]] voted by 201 votes to 161 to bring the Progressive Democrats to an end.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1108/pd.html |title=PDs vote to wind up political party |date=8 November 2008 |work=[[RTÉ News]] |access-date=8 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211110548/http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1108/pd.html |archive-date=11 December 2008 }}</ref> In January 2009 the party was still operating and in receipt of state funding,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tribune.ie/news/article/2009/jan/11/a-wind-up-pds-continue-to-receive-state-funding/|title=A wind-up? PDs continue to receive state funding|author=Coleman, Shane|work=[[Sunday Tribune]]|date=11 January 2009|access-date=19 January 2009}}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> including a Party Leader's Allowance paid to Minister Mary Harney,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0623/breaking48.htm|title=Parties get €13.7m in State funding|date=26 June 2009|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|access-date=26 June 2009|archive-date=23 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923012511/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/parties-get-13-7m-in-state-funding-1.842274|url-status=live}}</ref> but had ceased to receive funding by the following June. In March 2009, Noel Grealish became caretaker leader after Cannon's decision to join [[Fine Gael]], and he retained the role for the remaining months of the party's existence.

The archives of the Progressive Democrats party were presented to [[University College Dublin]] on 10 June 2009.<ref name=archives>{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0610/1224248537815.html|title=PDs to donate all archives of party's history to UCD|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|date=10 June 2009|access-date=10 June 2009|archive-date=8 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108222251/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0610/1224248537815.html|url-status=live}}</ref> At least 20 former Progressive Democrats councillors won seats on [[Local government in the Republic of Ireland|county, city and town councils]] at the [[2009 Irish local elections|2009 local elections]]. Some were elected as [[Fine Gael]] candidates, some as [[Fianna Fáil]] and others as independents.<ref name=archives/>