Sinn Féin plays down running son of murdered solicitor Pat Finucane as presidential candidate
Mr Finucane, son of the murdered solicitor Pat Finucane, has been touted as a potential pick by Sinn Féin to contest October's election.
However, party sources have said he is unlikely to run and his appearance at Sunday's event was merely the party "rotating" speakers from year to year. Party leader Mary Lou McDonald addressed the party's annual Easter Rising commemoration in Carrickmore in Tyrone, having done the Arbour Hill commemoration last year.
Sources within the party said there was not yet any decision on who, or even if, the party would put forward a nominee to succeed Michael D Higgins later this year. There had been strong speculation linking Sinn Féin with the GAA President Jarlath Burns, but he ruled out such a move in February.
'Let me do that very clearly, that is not on my radar,' said Mr Burns.
'My plan when I finish this job is to go back to St Paul's, Bessbrook, to be principal of the school. That's the place I love, the place I miss, even though this is the best job you could possibly have, that's where I belong, that's where I belong anyway.'
There has been some speculation Sinn Féin would back a combined left-wing platform candidate, with Independent senator Frances Black and Independent TD Catherine Connolly touted as possible names.
Within Sinn Féin, however, there are some who say they would prefer not to back Ms Black, with some feeling she had become "too close" with the coalition parties in the lead-up to last year's general election in relation to her Occupied Territories Bill.
Others in the party feel the key priority for any combined platform is ensuring whoever is nominated can win.
In Fianna Fáil, MEP Barry Andrews has emerged as a potential candidate. Picture: Gareth Chaney
Within the coalition, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael sources have privately ruled out running a combined candidate, with Fine Gael in particular keen to win the office for the first time. Within that party, former European Commissioner Mairead McGuinness and former GAA president and current Ireland South MEP Seán Kelly are touted as potential candidates, with both said to be interested in a run.
In Fianna Fáil, MEP Barry Andrews has emerged as a potential candidate, though his colleague Cynthia Ní Mhurchú told RTÉ she was focused on her role and has not courted any support for a bid. Fellow Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Cowen last week said some parties had become "sidetracked" by the issue.
"I think I'm one of the few MEPs that is totally committed to the role to which I was elected without being distracted by wanting to be considered for that role," he joked.
To receive a nomination, prospective candidates are required to be nominated by 20 members of the Oireachtas, or nominated by four local authorities. To be eligible, they must be an Irish citizen and have reached the age of 35.
Former MMA fighter Conor McGregor has repeatedly expressed a desire to run for the presidency, but his path to a nomination appears unlikely, with both Oireachtas members and councillors across the board in recent weeks giving short shrift to the idea.
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Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, July 21st: On what political polls reveal, defending bedsits, and waking up to woke
Sir, – According to your recent poll, 25 per cent of voters are undecided, and 20 per cent of those who did express a preference said they would vote for an Independent candidate. Doing the maths, this means that a total of 40 per cent of the electorate do not support any of the nine political parties in the Oireachtas. Is this a record for your series of polls? This suggests a truly extraordinary level of dissatisfaction with both the two main parties and with the various parties of the left, and that an unhealthy proportion of the electorate feel disconnected from our political presents significant dangers. READ MORE First, every single country in Europe – without exception – has at least one new party on the populist right which emerged over the last two decades, capitalising on a similar disconnect among voters, and which now enjoys at least 25 per cent of the vote. Do we think that Ireland is immune from this trend? All that's needed is the emergence of a party with credible leadership which has broad appeal to urban and rural voters. Second, the ground which any new party might seize is that same ground on the centre right which has been completely abandoned by both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil over the last decade, and whose combined total support continues to plumb historic depths in your opinion polls as a result. If one or both of these parties doesn't return to this political ground, then they may find – as establishment parties have in Europe – that they will have the electoral rug taken out from under them. – Yours, etc, BARRY WALSH, Clontarf, Dublin 3. Bishop Eamonn Casey removal Sir, – Credit to the Galway diocese for taking the absolutely correct decision in removing Bishop Eamonn Casey's remains from the crypt in Galway Cathedral. I was sure they would play the long game and hope it would all be forgotten about. Well done to the decision makers. – Yours, etc, JOE HARVEY, Glenageary, Dublin. Medical consultation fees Sir, – Regarding Niall H Doyle's letter about a GP consultation fee hike to €90 (July18th), my GP is also in Rathfarnham and charges a far more reasonable ¤60. I'm now alarmed that he may be an Irish Times reader! – Yours, etc, ANNETTE QUINN, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16. Sir, – Your writer to The Irish Times asks if €90 is a record for a GP consultation fee. I can confirm an extraordinary fee paid to a local chiropodist – €90 some months ago. When I stated the fee was more than I would pay to my doctor, the chiropodist reply was that she was the senior chiropodist. I considered the charge was outrageous and did not avail of the service again. – Yours, etc, MARY McCARTHY, Blackrock, Co Dublin. Local property tax increases Sir, – I was disappointed to read 'T he Irish Times view on the local property tax ,' July 15th. The editorial took a clear stance that 'homeowners can pay a bit more' and criticised the decision taken by myself and my colleagues on Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to maintain the 15 per cent reduction in the LPT rate for next year. Surprisingly, the editorial made no reference to the revaluation of properties for LPT purposes that will take place in November. This revaluation, taking into account the significant property price increases since 2021, will result in all homeowners paying a bit more in 2026. It is estimated that this revaluation will see homeowners in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown contribute an extra €10.85 million to next year's council budget. This will facilitate significant expansion of the council's budget for 2026, well ahead of inflation. In this context, I do not see how we could justify imposing further tax increases on local homeowners. – Yours, etc, CLLR EOIN O'DRISCOLL (FG), Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Dublin. Minding children Sir, – I refer to your letter from Siobhán McDermott regarding long summer holidays (July 19th). Teachers are educators, not childcare providers. Schools are educational establishments, they do not exist to mind children while parents work. Deciding to have children means that you take responsibility for them and care for them regardless of how inconvenient that might be for your working life. Let's look at the workplace. – Yours, etc, KATHY CURZON, Co Cork. Sir, – To all those young parents sitting in cafes and parks busy on their phones and devices while ignoring their toddlers and children, I suggest a listen to the song Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin would be useful. He describes so well how; fast forward 10 or 15 years, your children may be less interested in chatting to you than they are now. Enjoy it while you can. – Yours, etc, DAVID S KELLY, Dublin 16. Waking up to woke Sir, – As a plus -70 year-old grandfather I've only become aware of the word 'woke' lately. I hear it being used as a term of derision by various individuals on radio and social media. It seems to this old geezer that to have empathy with people who are suffering or downtrodden is a symptom of wokeness. To be accepting of LGBTQ folk and other ethnicities is also a sign that you might be inclined to be woke. To be on the side of the women and children in Palestine would definitely qualify you. I personally tick a lot of the boxes to be labelled a woke oul fella. And I'm'm proud of it. – Yours, etc, PAT BURKE WALSH, Ballymoney, Co Wexford. In defence of bedsits Sir, – Many years ago, I spent some quality time in a bedsit in Clontarf in Dublin. It was on the third floor of a large period house shared with four other bedsits on the same floor. In modern day estate agent parlance, it would be described as comfortable, in a highly sought after area, good value for money in the current challenging rental market, ergonomically compact with modern conveniences and nice sea views. In reality, the single bed was jammed up against the wall and took up over 75 per cent of the room. The wardrobe consisted of a length of coarse twine hovering over the bed, one end tied to the curtain rail and the other attached to a six-inch masonry nail partially hammered into the door frame. The cooking facilities included a two-ring camping gas stove balanced precariously on an orange box advertising sun-kissed oranges from Seville. There was a small corner sink by the window. The sea could be viewed by exiting the building and walking down the road towards Dublin Bay. Crucially, the main convenience, the toilet, was located on the landing and shared by all and sundry, often resulting in slow moving queues, particularly bothersome when nature was pressing, Of course, a bedsit wouldn't be a bedsit without at least a couple of resident mice, but I had at least four. We coexisted for the while as I didn't bother them and they didn't bother me. The real convenience, not to be underestimated, was that, such was the proximity to everything, all the conveniences could be operated without getting out of bed in the morning, like putting on the kettle, brushing your teeth and turning on the cooker with your big toe to make the porridge, thus gaining an extra 10 minutes shut eye before going to work. In retrospect, the experience wasn't all bad, but like the banks and the financial system and everything else at the time, the much-maligned bedsit suffered from light touch or, more accurately, zero regulation, but surely the resurrection of the modest bedsit could make substantial inroads into the current homeless and housing problems. – Yours, etc, JOHN LEAHY, Wilton Road, Cork. Revenue hours Sir, – The contact hours for Irish revenue are 9.3 0am–4.30pm. If only the rest of the working population had these terms of employment. – Yours, etc, MARY GARDINER, Co Wicklow In praise of Fintan Sir, – Fintan O'Toole's moving and disturbing account of the 'non-resting place' at the former Bon Secours Mother and Baby home in Tuam (July 15th) is typical of his eloquence, knowledge, research and insight. I am inclined to say that there is really no one in my own country quite his match – or I would be if we didn't have the good fortune of being able to read him regularly in The New York Review of Books. – Yours, etc, VICTOR LUFTIG, Virginia, United States. Garda check point Sir, – I was startled today by the headline, ' Garda revokes more that 900 speed camera fines on stretch of N25 due to human error, ' (July 18th). To my great relief, the headline did not reflect the article's content. A single garda had not taken unilateral action to cancel hundreds of fines. It was actually the organisation – An Garda Síochána – which had taken action. What a relief! – Yours, etc, S NESTOR, Co Louth. Carry on writing Sir, – Little did I realise that a casual decision to write to another national newspaper would trigger a flurry of correspondence about how to be published in this newspaper. I can assure you and your readers that it was not a migration, merely akin to a midweek break. I decided to unmask myself as to paraphrase Oscar Wilde, there is only one thing worse than being written about and that is to be written about anonymously. – Yours, etc, DAVID LOUGHLIN, Rathmines, Dublin 6. Sir, – As regular letter writers to The Irish Times have attested, most letters don't get published. The limited available space cannot accommodate all the submissions. The editor is left with the difficult job of choosing only a few. Far from this being seen as a problem, most letter writers don't seem to mind, and many probably enjoy that it is difficult, as it then seems more of an achievement if a letter does get in. Overall, this tried and tested system of selection and curation, used by many newspapers and magazines, works well. The typical letters page contains a diverse range of opinions, politely conducted arguments, praise and dispraise of people for their actions or views, and plenty of good-natured debate and disagreement. The same cannot always be said of forums where everything gets published. – Yours, etc, COLIN WALSH, Templeogue, Dublin 6W. Sir, – I share the frustration of your many letter writers whose efforts are not acknowledged in your pages. I too have written innumerable letters . . . to the Ephesians, Thessalonians, Corinthians, Timothy et al. To date I have not received one reply. –Yours, etc, (Paul) TOM McGRATH, Ashford, Co Wicklow. Sir, – I didn't realise that the easiest way to get a letter published is to write one about a letter being published. May I have one too? – Yours, etc, DR MARIA O'BRIEN, Bayside, Dublin.
Irish Times
9 hours ago
- Irish Times
Presidential race: Party ‘open to meeting' Tony Holohan and Michael Flatley on nominations
Independent Ireland is open to talking to former chief medical officer (CMO) Tony Holohan and Irish dancing star Michael Flatley , should they seek nominations from Oireachtas members to enter the presidential election , party leader Michael Collins has said. Meanwhile, former Fianna Fáil minister Mary Hanafin, who has expressed an interest in running herself, said at the weekend it would be 'an insult' to the office of the presidency if her party does not run a candidate . Last week saw the presidential election race heat up. The first declared candidates – former European Commissioner and Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness and Independent TD Catherine Connolly – emerged in the battle to succeed President Michael D Higgins. READ MORE [ Mairead McGuinness leads the field in a list of potential presidential election candidates, poll shows Opens in new window ] A report in the Irish Mail on Sunday suggested that Mr Holohan is preparing to launch a bid to become president. The newspaper quoted him as neither confirming or denying this. Last night, Mr Holohan, who became the public face of the State's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, told The Irish Times: 'I have nothing further to add to this story as yet'. Separately Lord of the Dance star Mr Flatley did not rule himself out of seeking a nomination to run for the presidency. Mr Flatley suggested on RTÉ Radio 1 that he may run 'if I thought that I could be of benefit to the Irish people' . Those wishing to secure a place on the presidential election ballot paper must secure nominations from 20 Oireachtas members or four local authorities. Independent Ireland leader Mr Collins expressed an openness to hearing from Mr Holohan and Mr Flatley should they approach his party seeking nominations. Independent Ireland have four TDs and Mr Collins said 'those four votes could be vital to some candidate'. He said: 'We haven't signed for anybody as of yet.' He said the party had already met three individuals in relation to the presidency – businessman Declan Ganley, Ms Connolly, and another person who wants to remain private for now. Mr Collins said: 'We'd be open to meeting everyone that wants to have a discussion with us' while 'they have to have a realistic chance' and prove they have 16 other votes. Fianna Fáil minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chamber's said he was not aware of any engagements between his party and Mr Holohan when asked about the former CMO on RTÉ radio. He also said Fianna Fáil was 'assessing its options' on the presidential election when asked if he agreed with the view expressed by Ms Hanafin at the Patrick MacGill Summer School that it would be 'an insult' to the office of the presidency if her party did not contest the election. She told those present: 'I firmly believe that the largest party of the country, which is the largest at local level, largest at national level, should be running'. Ms Hanafin has made clear her desire to run for Fianna Fáil but is yet to receive public support from senior party figures. Mr Chambers said Fianna Fáil is listening to its members and will make a decision on the presidential election in early autumn.
The Journal
11 hours ago
- The Journal
Pat Rabbitte open to presidential run, while Tony Holohan won't confirm or deny
FORMER LABOUR PARTY leader Pat Rabbitte has said he is open to considering a run for president. Rabbitte was leader of the party between 2002 and 2007 and served as minister for communications, energy and natural resources between 2011 and 2014. The Co Mayo man is currently chairman of Tusla. Asked on Newstalk radio today if he would rule out running for president, Rabbitte said: 'No, one should always keep one's options open.' He went on to say he would 'entertain' a bid if he was approached by a 'broad cross-section of moderate opinion'. Advertisement However, he added: 'I better kill this quickly before it gathers feet: I am very, very happy to leave this challenge to others.' The Labour party has yet to formally back a candidate. Meanwhile, The Irish Mail On Sunday reported former chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan has also not ruled out seeking a nomination. The newspaper reported today that 'plans are in progress' for Holohan to announce his candidacy as he refused to 'confirm or deny' whether he would enter the race. It is unclear whether he will be backed by a political party, although it was reported that he has a cordial relationship with both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. Fine Gael's candidate Mairead McGuinness was confirmed by the party, but has yet to be formally ratified. Fianna Fáil have yet to back a candidate. Former minister Mary Hanafin yesterday said that the party should be running a candidate , coming after she expressed her own desire to represent Fianna Fáil in the election. Public Expenditure minister Jack Chambers told RTÉ's This Week that he was 'not aware of any engagements' between Fianna Fáil and Holohan regarding his potential candidacy. Related Reads Catherine Connolly, presidential hopeful, gave her first press conference today — here's what she said Question mark over Mary Lou McDonald's potential candidacy as support for Connolly builds The face of Riverdance, Michael Flatley, didn't rule out his own potential bid yesterday . Michael Healy-Rae said that he would not be contesting the election after broadcaster and former Fine Gael TD Ivan Yates told that the Kerry TD could be a 'dark horse'. Independent TD Catherine Connolly is the only candidate to have formally announced her campaign, having been backed by the Social Democrats and People Before Profit. An opinion poll conducted by The Irish Times showed that Mairead McGuinness is currently the most popular candidate in the mix, followed by Catherine Connolly, but that many voters are not engaged in the Áras race. With reporting by Press Association Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
