“WE HAVE SELECTED an outstanding candidate in Jim Gavin, who is extremely well known throughout the country,” Taoiseach Micheál Martin told members of the media as he stood beside the Clondalkin man for his first media appearance as Fianna Fáil’s presidential candidate earlier this week. 

It was an unusual comment to make as part of his first pitch to voters. 

For the large swath of the electorate who fall outside of Dublin and outside of GAA circles, it was a remark that doesn’t ring true. 

But that may be one of the things that stands to the former GAA boss and ex-Air Corps Commandant most as he begins his presidential campaign.

The fact that the general public knows so little about his views and what he stands for means he gets to introduce himself on his own terms. 

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Those who do know Gavin and who have worked closely with him through the GAA or through his chairing of the Citizens’ Assembly on a directly elected mayor for Dublin, have described him as “quiet”, “capable” and “straight as a die”. 

Writing in the Irish Independent, pundit Joe Brolly described him as a “mysterious and unknowable man”, but one of “integrity and courage.”

Dublin GAA All-Star Paul Flynn said his former manager was a man who asked “what if?” a lot.

Writing in The Currency, Flynn said: “You might not be able to plan in a presidential election as you can in an All-Ireland series, but Jim Gavin will try.”

“The more you scratch the surface, the more impressive he becomes, not less,” Flynn wrote.

Those who worked alongside him on the Citizens’ Assembly spoke in less glowing terms about Gavin, but still ultimately described him as a decent individual.

One person who worked with him on the Citizens’ Assembly told The Journal that they got the sense he was a person who “genuinely believes in public service”.

Another described him as someone who doesn’t have a “booming personality” or much “stage presence”, but who seemed like “a very pleasant, nice man”. 

The worst thing someone said about him was that he could walk into a room and you wouldn’t know he was there.

“He didn’t strike me as a particularly political person,” another person involved in the Citizens’ Assembly said. 

“I’ve no red flags or anything like that to report, I would probably give him a transfer,” they concluded. 

What is his pitch to voters?

“I’m motivated by a sense of duty. I’m motivated by serving the people of the country. That has always been in my DNA.”

This was the response Gavin gave earlier this week when asked by journalists what he stands for. 

Shortly before this, in his ten-minute pitch to Fianna Fáil’s parliamentary party, Gavin pledged to them that if he received their support, he would visit every constituency in the country at least once over the next 45 days. 

“I will be on the ground, meeting the Irish people face to face. I will be ready to make our case in every debate and interview,” he told them. 

He told his new colleagues that the three “core pillars” of his campaign will be engaging with communities in every part of the island; opening up Áras an Úachtaráin and expanding the number of community events held there; and promoting Ireland to the wider world.

What do we know about his views?

Before this week, Gavin was not a person who ever publicly promoted his personal views on political issues. 

When asked why this was, he said that he carried a non-partisan ethos from his time in the Defence Forces with him into his subsequent career in the public sector.

Asked how he would describe his politics, Gavin said: “I see myself as a centrist”. 

When probed, he revealed that he voted in favour of liberalising Ireland’s abortion laws, in favour of legalising same-sex marriage, and voted against the two proposed amendments to the Constitution in last year’s Care and Family referendums. 

He has said he is in favour of abolishing the triple lock that currently governs the deployment of Irish troops on peacekeeping missions, and this week said he would term what Israel is doing in Gaza a genocide. 

Gavin faced heavy criticism from Sinn Féin and others though for his description of Israel’s actions in Gaza since October 7 2023. 

Speaking to Virgin Media News, Gavin said: “It’s unconscionable that the bombing is still taking place when I believe that the military objectives have probably been reached for that military campaign.”

Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty said this was a disgraceful way to talk about the brutal slaughter of tens of thousands of men, women and children.

This first bump in Gavin’s campaign gives credence to the concerns some in Fianna Fáil have privately voiced over his lack of political experience. 

Does he have the polish?

The big test for Gavin will be how he performs in the debates and in interviews. 

It was noted by a few members of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party that Gavin’s 10-minute speech, while good, was less polished than his competitor MEP Billy Kelleher’s.

Similarly, one TD said that they weren’t convinced yet of his ability to think quickly on his feet.

“The clips I’ve seen of him so far in interviews, the jury is still out,” the TD said.

The same TD added that they felt Micheál Martin came across “a bit thick, a bit tetchy” in the first media appearance he had alongside Gavin on Tuesday afternoon.

“I see myself as a centrist.”

Former Dublin GAA manager Jim Gavin, who is the Fianna Fáil nominee for president, has just done his first doorstep with reporters.

When asked today he said he voted yes to marriage equality and yes to repealing the 8th amendment. pic.twitter.com/me0XpgH848

— Jane Matthews (@janeematthews) September 9, 2025

Indeed, it was notable during the short and impromptu press conference that took place outside Leinster House that the Taoiseach was eager to get Gavin away from the glare of the cameras and the questions from the media.

Despite these concerns, party insiders are genuinely convinced they could have the winning candidate.

“It’s between himself and Heather Humphreys now for me,” one TD said.

Another said: “He’s going to do well, not a doubt in my mind about that. The more he gets out meeting people, the more he will come across as a real good asset to the country.”