LAST UPDATE | 16 Dec 2025

MICHEÁL MARTIN HAS said he is “absolutely relieved” to have received the report on his party’s presidential election selection process.

Speking on his way into Cabinet he he said the report would be furnished to the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party “promptly”. 

The Journal understands a special parliamentary party meeting has been scheduled for tonight and that members will be given the report beforehand.

All party TDs, senators and MEPs are entitled to attend parliamentary party meetings. 

Asked about his leadership this morning, Martin said he is “absolutely” confident it was secure and that he would deal with the “entirety of the report this evening”. 

Martin added: “I know others have been focused on the ‘gotcha’ moments and attempting to create ‘gotcha’ moments and attempting to create attack lines against me. I mean, that’s been the agenda for the last number of weeks, but I haven’t been focused on that. I’ve been focused on the work as Taoiseach.”

Last night, Martin had hit out at commentary about the internal Fianna Fáil review into its disastrous campaign, calling some reporting “disappointing, selective and inaccurate”.

Asked about these remarks on his way into Cabinet this morning, the Taoiseach said he was “taken back” by some of the commentary last week, which was based on “false” assertions. 

Asked by The Journal which assertions he was referring to, he said: “the ones made at the weekend in respect to people having knowledge they didn’t have”.

This was a reference to media reports that his top adviser, Deirdre Gilane, and Fianna Fáil deputy leader, Jack Chambers, were aware of presidential candidate Jim Gavin’s disagreement with a tenant days before the party’s selection convention.

Martin has come under pressure for championing the ex-Dublin football manager to be the party’s presidential candidate, after Gavin dramatically withdrew from the race three weeks before polling day.

In the aftermath of the election, an internal review into Fianna Fail’s candidate selection process was launched.

Earlier yesterday, three senior Fianna Fáil TDs called for the report to be released so there is “adequate time” to read it and reflect on its conclusions.

Sean Ó Fearghail, along with Willie O’Dea and Pat ‘the Cope’ Gallagher, claimed leaks about the report to the media had damaged the party and said accountability was needed to restore trust and credibility.

Gavin faced questions last year after revelations of a 16-year-old dispute with a former tenant who claimed he was owed €3,300 euro – which has since been repaid.

The aviation official and former military pilot also appeared to struggle on televised debates and in opinion polls before the controversy emerged.

The Fianna Fáil parliamentary party voted by secret ballot on 9 September for Gavin over MEP Billy Kelleher by 41-29.

Kelleher told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that he hopes the party will give the report “the authority it deserves”, saying Fianna Fáil has been “fractured” by the messy presidential election.

Asked what he hopes to find out, Kelleher said: “The truth, very simply. What went right, what went wrong.”

Kelleher said it’s crucial that party members are confident that Martin did not know about Gavin’s history before championing his run.

Kelleher’s colleague in Europe Barry Andrews, who was one of those that came out in support of the Cork MEP for the presidential nomination, said he has “certain questions” he’d like to see answered by the report, “around due diligence, around who knew what when, and what steps are going to be taken in the future”.

Andrews said there was a “very clear campaign” to influence the outcome of the parliamentary party’s vote for its presidential candidate in favour of Jim Gavin.

He would not be drawn on whether he sees Micheál Martin leading the party into the next general election.

“That’s an awful long time away, that’s almost four years away,” Andrews said. “There’s a lot that can happen. He’s been leader since 2011 – I supported him in 2011 – but this is a major problem here.”

He said Martin has the opportunity to address the matter at hand coherently and effectively so the party can move forward and address other issues.

- With reporting by Mairead Maguire and Emma Hickey