World of Politics with Harry McGee

Autumn, season of mists and mellow foolishness. Political party think-ins, the annual donning by political leaders of Wellington boots to attend the Ploughing Championship; and, oh yes, a bitter stock car race otherwise known as the presidential election.

Every week during the summer there has been another twist to the tale.

This week there has been the possible tapping by Fianna Fáil of former Dublin GAA manager Jim Gavin, also the chair of the football rules committee which has revolutionised the playing of Gaelic football over the past year.

In the background too there is Bertie Ahern. Over the course of the last weekend, a video podcast he recorded with his son-in-law Nicky Byrne (the former member of the pop band, Westlife) was mysteriously rereleased.

It revolved around Ahern mulling in public about the benefits and drawbacks of a run for the Presidency. The interview was recorded in late 2024, with Ahern weighing up the pros and cons of running. He has the experience and the political nous of course. In the podcast he outlines the case against which is personal. He will be 74 this year. He asks if it would be worth it spending seven years at his age away from his family and grandchildren.

Of course, there is an elephant standing quietly in the corner of the room. It is not mentioned in the podcast. It is the Celtic Tiger, the collapse of the economy, his personal finances, the dig-outs, the money he had that he struggled to explain at the Planning Tribunal.

If he were to run, all of that would be revived. I spoke to a number of Fianna Fáil people last week and this week who thought that Ahern should run and he would overcome all that. It’s clear that among the core Fianna Fáil supporters he would get a lot of support but any Presidential aspirant will need to attract support across the board, and he might have difficulty with that.

Fianna Fáil’s leadership has changed its position on the presidency in the past month. Then, it was undecided on the party running a candidate or sitting it out. I spoke to over 20 TDs and Senators who told me on the record they wanted the party to run a candidate. That is the overwhelming view of the parliamentary party and of councillors to whom I have spoken.

Pictured: Éamon Ó Cuív and  Pádraig Ó Céidigh … two more Galway names in the mix, along with Catherine Connolly.