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LAST UPDATE | 16 Dec 2025
FIANNA FÁIL PARLIAMENTARY members have been given the long-awaited internal review into the party’s disastrous presidential campaign ahead of tonight’s party meeting.
A showdown is expected as TDs, MEPs and senators discuss the findings, which detail who knew what and when during the short-lived candidacy of Jim Gavin.
Gavin withdrew before polling day after it emerged he owed money to a former tenant.
The Journal’s Political Editor Christina Finn and reporter Andrew Walsh will be bringing you all the latest as we have it.
Key points:
Good evening and welcome to our live coverage of the Fianna Fáil presidential campaign fallout.
The party is set to get the review into how Jim Gavin was picked as its presidential candidate, ahead of a 7pm parliamentary party meeting to go through the findings.
The report comes after Gavin’s campaign fell apart in October over unpaid rent, raising questions about who knew what during the selection process.
We’ll have all the latest updates for you here.
Earlier today, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was “absolutely relieved” to have received the internal review into Fianna Fáil’s presidential candidate selection process.
Speaking on his way into Cabinet this morning, he said the report would be shared promptly with the parliamentary party ahead of the special meeting tonight.
Martin insisted he is “absolutely” confident in his leadership and that he will address the full findings during the meeting, dismissing recent media coverage as “disappointing, selective and inaccurate.”
This morning, Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher, who lost out to Jim Gavin in the party’s September presidential selection vote, said he hopes the internal review into the process will be given “the authority it deserves.”
Speaking to RTÉ, Kelleher described the party as “fractured” by the messy campaign and said the report must clarify “the truth, very simply. What went right, what went wrong.”
He stressed it is vital that party members are confident Micheál Martin did not have prior knowledge of Gavin’s tenancy dispute before backing him as the candidate.
Kelleher’s colleague in Europe, Barry Andrews, who had also supported Kelleher, said the report should answer key questions about due diligence, who knew what and when, and what steps will be taken going forward.
Andrews added there had been a “very clear campaign” to influence the outcome of the vote in favour of Gavin.
While he did not comment on whether Martin should lead the party into the next general election (Andrews simply said “that’s an awful long time away”), he said the Taoiseach has the chance to address the issue thoroughly so Fianna Fáil can move on and focus on other matters.
In case you forgot (or somehow missed) what happened to Jim Gavin’s Áras ambitions, the former Dublin GAA manager dramatically withdrew from the presidential race in October after it emerged he had failed to repay a former tenant €3,300 over a decade ago.
In a statement just hours after a televised RTÉ debate in early October, Gavin cited the impact on his family and said he wanted to avoid controversy overshadowing the office of president.
His departure left the election a two-horse race between Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys, with Gavin ultimately picking up just over 7% of first-preference votes.
The report released today is expected to cover any communications involving Martin’s inner circle, including concerns raised about Gavin’s tenant dispute before he was nominated as the party’s candidate.
It is also anticipated to outline the discussions that took place between Gavin, Martin, and election director Minister Jack Chambers in the lead-up to Gavin’s unexpected withdrawal from the race.
Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne has said that he’s expecting a “long” parliamentary party meeting this evening on the presidential campaign.
Byrne told RTÉ Radio One’s Drive Time that the report should clarify “who knew what, and when”, and include recommendations for future candidate selection processes.
He added that part of the issue is about “the culture of secrecy” and ensuring party members are properly informed.
Byrne said members and supporters “are entitled to know the full detail” of what happened in September in relation to the party’s selection of Jim Gavin as their presidential candidate, including any information that reached journalists in advance and how it was handled internally.
Some disquiet in Fianna Fáil this afternoon ahead of the sharing of the report on the party’s presidential election selection process.
One backbench critic tells me the FF leadership is “acting the maggot” by not yet sharing the report of the internal review into the Jim Gavin campaign. Taoiseach confirmed this morning he had it, and said he would share it ‘promptly’ - that was 9 hours ago, meeting set for 7pm
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) December 16, 2025
Political Editor Christina Finn has been speaking to a number of Fianna Fáilers ahead of tonight’s meeting.
The tone of the statement released by Micheál Martin has irked many, which probably doesn’t help matters as he is due to face his parliamentary party shortly.
One said the statement did ‘not go down well at all’ with another saying he was ‘speaking in the third person’.
The confusion over the timings for today has also annoyed many, with the majority saying during the day they were not sure when they would have sight of the review, which is expected to run to 30 pages.
The internal review into Fianna Fáil’s botched campaign to run Jim Gavin as a presidential candidate has now been circulated to party members ahead of tonight’s parliamentary meeting.
The report details how, during a meeting in October, Jim Gavin met with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister Jack Chambers, with both recognising the seriousness of the issues surrounding Gavin’s campaign.
According to the review, Martin and Chambers advised that they could not recommend to the parliamentary party that they continue to back Gavin, warning that pressing ahead would lead to ten “very difficult days” and would be unfair to ask party members to campaign for him.
Political Correspondent Jane Matthews here.
Today’s report sets out a detailed timeline of Gavin’s selection. It confirms that Fianna Fáil Deputy Leader and director of elections, Jack Chambers, knew about an issue relating to a tenant before Gavin was formally selected as Fianna Fáil’s candidate on 9 September.
The report reveals that on 8 September, Fianna Fáil TD John Lahart text Chambers referencing a “potential issue with a tenant who was a journalist and the return of a deposit”.
This turned out to be inaccurate as it was later revealed that the issue related to the overpayment of rent that was not returned to the tenant despite repeated requests.
The report states that Chambers sent this text to Fianna Fáil’s General Secretary Sean Dorgan, who put the matter to Gavin.
“To both of these queries Mr. Gavin professed no recollection of any such issues, of a deposit not having been returned, nor that he had a tenant who was a journalist.
“Nothing further was done,” the report states, which is understood to relate that no further action was taken by party headquarters.
This revelation is likely to raise serious questions about the handling of events by both Chambers and party HQ.
The Fianna Fáil review states that in early June, Minister Jack Chambers was contacted by Mr. Keith Barr suggesting that former Dublin football manager Jim Gavin would make a very fine candidate.
A few informal meetings followed.
Then, on Thursday 31 July, it states that the Taoiseach is cognisant of the need to have a candidate to attend the Ploughing Championships. On 1 August, as reported by The Journal previously, Gavin informs John Dorgan, the party chair, that he is interested in seeking nomination as the Party’s candidate in the Presidential election.
The report states:
It was felt that August (known as ‘silly season’ in political media circles) was not a good month to launch a campaign. It was noted that many candidates that launched their campaigns in August had met with failure.
The internal review also outlines the financial side of Jim Gavin’s short-lived campaign.
Fianna Fáil had set a budget of around €500,000 for the presidential election, but by 11 November only €150,000 had been spent.
Total costs for the failed campaign are now expected to come in at roughly €350,000 to €400,000.
The report notes that the party had anticipated recovering €250,000 by garnering 25% of the votes, (under electoral law, presidential candidates are entitled to have their campaign expenses reimbursed if their total number of votes exceeds one quarter of the quota) but that funding did not materialise.
The quota is the minimum number of votes that are needed for victory in an election such as the presidency.
The fallout of the Jim Gavin controversy put the Fianna Fáil party under the spotlight, particularly how it selects and also vets someone.
The report goes into the ‘due diligence’ the party undertook earlier this year.
It states that the General Secretary of the party, Sean Dorgan, other party officials and communication specialists carried out due diligence on Gavin, describing in as “exhaustive”.
This included providing a warning regarding the intense scrutiny and media attention that would be applied to a candidate, and the consequential need to brief the party on all relevant matters at an early stage.
The processes consisted of research, the examination of public documents, media articles and several meetings with Gavin, states the report, which adds that the party was also mindful that the candidate was someone that had not been the subject of the extensive media scrutiny that is applied to experienced politicians.
“The discussions were more detailed than those with any other candidate for any other election. The process was described as ‘very detailed’ it was stated that it ‘pressed on every possible topic’.
“During the course of the due diligence, a variety of questions on Mr. Gavin’s position as a landlord and a variety of matters that might arise as a result thereof were raised. It was stated that any disgruntled tenant would almost certainly raise their grievance publicly.”
The review says that Gavin did not recall any potential issues when the topic was addressed even in the light of Deputy John Lahart’s and Fionnan Sheahan’s communications and nothing further was done.
The internal review says Jim Gavin was asked twice about the possible dispute with a former tenant before he was selected as Fianna Fáil’s presidential candidate, but said on both occasions that he was not aware of any issue.
According to the report, the first query arose on 5 September after a phone call from Irish Independent journalist Fionnán Sheahan to the Taoiseach’s chief of staff, Deirdre Gillane, flagging a potential tenant issue.
The matter was put to Gavin, who said he had no recollection of any problem.
A second query followed on 8 September after an email from Sheahan to Fianna Fáil’s press office seeking to ask Gavin questions about “property interests and a particular issue arising with a tenant”.
The issue was again raised with Gavin, who repeated that he was unaware of any such dispute.
The report also notes that a text referencing a possible tenant issue was sent to Minister Jack Chambers that day and passed on to Gavin, who again said he had no recollection of any problem, including one involving a journalist or an unpaid deposit.
No further action was taken at that point.
Gavin was selected as the party’s presidential candidate the following day, 9 September.
The review states that this position only changed on the afternoon of Saturday, 4 October, when the former tenant (Deputy Editor of the Sunday World Niall Donald) contacted a member of the campaign team directly in a phone call that took place in Gavin’s presence.
Gavin then carried out “a further examination of his records”.
While the report states that Martin was eager for Fianna Fáil to win the presidential election and “extensive research on positioning and participation” was undertaken by the party, it goes on to say that no polling was done on Jim Gavin’s candidacy prior to his nomination.
On Sunday 5 October the second televised debate between the three candidates is scheduled to take place on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics.
The report says Gavin decided to proceed with the debate. (It doesn’t specify if someone tried to stop him).
Asked about the disputed €3,300 during the program, Gavin said he was looking into the issue but would provide a comprehensive answer when possible.
Later, Gavin meets with the Taoiseach and Minister Jack Chambers in the afternoon.
Both parties recognise how serious the matter is, the report says.
Micheál Martin and Minister Chambers advise that they are not in a position to recommend to the Parliamentary Party that they continue to support Gavin.
“They advised that continuing with the campaign would lead to ten very difficult days and that it would not be fair to ask Party members to continue to campaign for him,” the review states.
Fianna Fáil’s parliamentary party meeting is now underway.
There’s only one item on the agenda this evening - the review of the party’s presidential election campaign.
Political Editor Christina Finn here.
The report makes clear that there were other possible candidates Fianna Fáil could opt for.
Earlier in the summer, Micheál Martin told The Journal that he thought the presidential candidate should not necessarily be party political.
Just four days after that interview, Gavin was to sit down with Minister Jack Chambers and General Secretary Sean Dorgan for an informal meeting.
This is reflected in the report this evening, whereby it states that Martin said his desire was to win the election if the party contested it and he wanted a candidate that ‘would command a very broad consensus or would have a realistic opportunity of getting a significant vote’.
He expressed a preference for an individual who would transcend party politics and ‘represent the country well abroad and lead with some sort of moral authority.’
When Gavin was selected, a number of times it was pointed out to the Taoiseach that Gavin was not a household name to many who did not follow GAA.
The report points to how there were other options for the party and that a number of people made informal approaches to An Taoiseach, Minister Jack Chambers, Deirdre Gillane and Sean Dorgan.
“Some of those that made such approaches did so in confidence and thus cannot be identified in this report. Some expressed a desire to seek the nomination, and others sought advice or to seek information on their prospects.
“Many expressed a desire to run only if they enjoyed An Taoiseach’s support, or the Party’s support. Whilst people were informed that An Taoiseach had a preferred candidate, no one was told that they were not entitled to seek a nomination,” finds the report.
Who they were, we may never know.
Fianna Fáil general secretary Sean Dorgan has acknowledged that Bertie Ahern should have been told sooner that he was not the party’s preferred presidential candidate.
According to the report, Dorgan accepted that he did not contact the former taoiseach until late August, despite Ahern having expressed an interest in running for the presidency for several months.
Ahern ultimately learned that he did not have the backing of the party leadership through media reports.
Dorgan told the report he should have made contact a week or two earlier and said it was never his intention to be “discourteous”.
MEP Billy Kelleher features in the report. It reveals that on 14 August, he sent a text message to Micheál Martin’s top advisers Deirdre Gillane encouraging the Taoiseach to seek nomination for the Presidential election after Fine Gael’s Mairead McGuinness withdrew her nomination.
He said he believed Martin was the most qualified and capable candidate. He stated that the matter was ‘in many ways unimportant to [him]’ as he was in Brussels.
On 19 August, after Heather Humphries launches her campaign, Kelleher issues a statement stating that there was a need to convene an urgent Parliamentary Party meeting to discuss the forthcoming presidential election.
The report states that Martin text Kelleher to express disappointment that he hadn’t called him prior to issuing the statement.
On the 24 August, Kelleher was asked whether he would enter the contest during a discussion with Claire Byrne on RTÉ. He didn’t rule it out.
The Taoiseach called Kelleher after the radio interview and asked if he intended to seek the nomination. Kelleher said he was considering it if Martin didn’t have a preferred candidate. They both agreed to talk about the matter.
Four days later on 28 August, there was a rush for support as the Taoiseach and Minister Chambers began contacting members of the Parliamentary Party informing them that Gavin was putting his name forward for consideration.
It became known that the Kelleher was also contacting party members to seek nomination, states the report, with the Taoiseach informing Kelleher by telephone that evening that he was not his preferred candidate and that Gavin was.
Ultimately, Kelleher lost out on the vote and was not selected as the party candidate.
Political Editor Christina Finn here.
So the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party is well and truly underway.
The meeting began with senior counsel, Ciaran O’ Loughlin, who was part of the panel that compiled the report, talking through the review with the parliamentary party members.
A number of members are expected to say their piece.
The Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting is apparently drawing to a close after four hours.
The meeting was described by some as “tense” but one TD said it “feels like the sting has gone out of it”. There doesn’t appear to have been a strong move against Micheál Martin during the meeting, with some stating that a number of contributions were almost a rallying call in support of the party leader.
However, the critics are not happy that the matter has been dealt with stating that it isn’t over yet. At one point, someone attempted a rousing clap in support of the party leader, but it didn’t really catch on, as one politician described it.
Those The Journal spoke to this evening agreed that Martin had played his cards well, pushing the report out to the week before Christmas, when politicians were eager to wrap up for the holidays.
We will have more analysis of the report in the morning.
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