Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
SPEAKING OUTSIDE Government Buildings this afternoon, the Fianna Fáil party leader Micheál Martin announced that the party will not run an internal candidate in the presidential election.
He said that the parliamentary party reached the decision today, which would be a difficult one for some members, after considering different perspectives within the party. He also said that the party remains open to backing an independent candidate, but would come to a decision on that in the coming weeks.
Martin added that it was clear to him that in the public’s mind, the presidential election is not a party-based election and people are more focused on the candidates rather than their parties.
A six-person frontbench committee met last week to discuss the implications of a number of election options facing the party and made its recommendation to the wider parliamentary party today.
Fianna Fáil MEP Brian Crowley had expressed interest in securing the party’s presidential nomination. However, he withdrew his bid last week, saying that it was clear to him that the party leadership did not want to run an internal candidate. Martin said today that Crowley would have been a good candidate ‘in his own right’ with strong Munster support.
He said he’d spoken to Crowley during the summer and had said the party would decide its position on a candidate by the end of August.
Regarding his contact with Gay Byrne in offering the party’s support in running for the Áras, Martin said that he doesn’t “see the big deal when there’s a lot of speculation around one person in picking up the phone and calling that person.” He said that the ‘old way of doing things’ involved sending people behind the scenes to sound someone out, but “that’s not the way I intend to do things.”
Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said in a recent interview that he feels he could have made a good candidate for the party, if it were not for the country’s economic downturn, the fall in his party’s popularity and “all the hassle of the tribunals”.
Eligible members of the Irish public have just one day left to register for postal voting in the presidential election.
- Additional reporting by Sinead O’Carroll
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
A million people know they’re British, should also be well aware they’re living in Ireland. If they truly want to be British, head back home to Britain, allowing Ireland to reunite and heal from all the trauma caused by their desire to be British in Ireland.
@Ivor O’Sullivan ☘: They were born and bred in Ireland like their people before them and have every bit as much right to have their voices heard as you have.
Your vision of an ethnically cleansed Ireland is every bit as backward as the most recalcitrant unionist and is as much cause of the strife in Ireland as their wish to be British.
@Justin Gillespie: Born and bred in Ireland, well said.
@Ivor O’Sullivan ☘: Exactly my point Ivor, there is more than one way of being Irish. The challenge for all of us is to find a way of framing an Ireland that both traditions can buy into and support.
Telling a million of our fellow Irish men and women to leave simply because they don’t see things the way we do will solve nothing.
Who next after them? People of colour? People with red hair? You’ll soon be here in your own.
@Justin Gillespie: best comment I’ve seen on the journal, #maithanfear
@Ivor O’Sullivan ☘: They were born here. Their families have lived on the island for centuries. You are suggesting something along the lines of ethnic cleaning??
@Justin Gillespie: Well said Justin, too many xenophobes like Ivor who think that packing all of the loyalists back to the mainland will sort everything. Thank god these people hold no sway.
@Ivor O’Sullivan ☘: when was ireland ever united? 800 years ago? Well no not even then.
You talk about 1million people to either move to accept the nationalist are taking over. Sound a bit adolfy to me.
@The Firestarter: Peter Taylor a journalist that followed the troubles from the start, arrived at the conclusion the only way a lasting peace can be achieved is by a united Ireland. Of course I do not envisage people been forced to leave, however if a united Ireland does happen with the consent of the people on the island of Ireland, there’s always the option for them to return ‘home’.
NI was artificially created to give it a protestant majority, a protestant state for a protestant people, well after 100 years that’s no longer the case. I whole heartily agree with Peter Taylor the only way forward is an united Ireland, this is the only solution to allow a permanent peace for the entire island.
Enjoyed that read.
They burned a tri colour but he was warmly welcomed…
We shouldn’t accept this behaviour…
It’s not civilised
These people should be called out and not ignored or pretending it’s ok to burn our flag or pictures of T.Ds/MPs
@Waylanderj: we can call them out when the nationalist side isnt doing the exact same. tit for tat is ingrained into the cultures up there
@superdooper: The point is that the nationalists don’t do ‘ the exact same’.
@superdooper: I think some one else answered Ur reply to my comment
There is so much hype built around social media “influencers” today, here is a real influencer. Well done Patrick, what an emotional article. What this island needs is more bandaids like this to truly heal.
Agree Stirring Speech by Kielty!
Great read. Unfortunately here in “the south” we also have our own divide we need to sort out. It appears, from social media & comments on this, one is either Up the RA or, much like out government, so anti SF/Republican that they can’t see straight. Until we get it out of our heads that SF is not the be all and end all, it is not the only way forward nor is it to be treated like a bad smell. It has its place, just like we all do, it should be treated with dignity, just as we all should. Let’s not hold our breath, as long as this government shouts them down at every opportunity, this divide is here to stay.
The 2 million or so that make up the unionist population might disagree. The prospect of a peaceful and pain free future may not be so easily achieved.
@Martin O Connell: the population of the six counties is 1,9m just FYI
@Thomas Harrington: But most accept they are in Ireland. Resettlement is a process that British are familiar with and they now need to resettle their homesick citizens back to
@Martin O Connell: The population of NI is only 1.9 million in total (~50% of which would vote for nationalist parties) in fact there was a majority Nationalist vote in recent elections.
https://www.itv.com/news/utv/2019-12-13/live-counting-underway-at-centres-across-ni
Out of 18 seats
Sinn Féin (7) and the SDLP (2) won 9 seats and Alliance Party won 1
DUP won 8
@Thomas Harrington: I accept my figures are wrong but my point stands.
@Martin O Connell: You’ve acknowledged your figures are absolutely wrong. Absolutely no one ever said it was going to be easy. So, what exactly is your point?
@JustMeHere: Call me a cynic but I suspect Martin knew full well the population figures and roughly the percentage of nationalist/unionist and I feel he was just trying to instil a bit of fear
@Peter Shannon: cynic.
@JustMeHere: it was in contrast to Kielty suggesting the future was bright and rosey. None of us have any idea how difficult integration might be or how we will go forward a a nation. They might chose to stay in the uk, they might choose to go it alone as a separate country. Everyone south of the border seems to be of the opinion that it’s a foregone conclusion. It’s far from it. I’d even go as far as to say some down South might not want to sacrifice what’s needed to be a united island.
So only Irish citizens can live in Ireland?
What about all the 400k of east Europeans, and British living here. Do they have to leave?
@billy bound: lol 400k east Europeans lmao
I have noticed that when people write about ‘The North” they tend to ignore the fact that the so called ‘Peace Walls’ are higher and longer than they have ever been , and that is because they need to be . Those walls are a better reflection of the reality of The North than articles in The Journal or other MSM publications .
@Des Hanrahan: There’s a whole lot more to the north than that one street in Belfast
Clarity around identity is important. Does it make sense to claim a ‘British’ identity if you were born and bred on the Island of Ireland. By all means proudly proclaim your loyality to the United Kingdom of Britain and Ireland, but that would-be relationship involves two distinct islands. Calling yourself British creates an unnecessary identity divide between you and other native born Irish with whom you share the island?
There not British if your not from Britain you ain’t British simple
@Gerrard: At the risk of giving you a heart attack Gerrard, the island of Ireland is, geographically speaking, part of the British Isles.
Is a sense we are all British.
@Justin Gillespie:
@Justin Gillespie: The term “The British Isles” is, quite simply, an anachronistic political designation, and has no real basis in geography. Ireland is, quite simply, not a British island. It used to be one in a political sense, but the fact that a piece of it is still in the UK is no real argument for calling the whole place British.
I think the British & Allied forces should parade through Berlin on May 8 every year & Sept 2 in Tokyo.
@Jack Burton: It’s our culture they’ll argue. Not triumphalist and supremacist
To be honest I have been all over Ireland and never got the feeling that North was any different from the west or south, been from Dublin I traveled a lot and have friends all over , Derry, Galway Kerry ect ect
Have you lived in Israel?
have your say