IT’S BEEN ALMOST four months since Ireland’s presidential election, and we’re still talking about Maria Steen’s handbag.

In the midst of what was proving to be a dull, three-horse race (later a two-horse race), there was one last surge of energy before nomination papers were submitted as people waited to see if barrister and architect Maria Steen would manage to make it onto the ticket.

After a hectic morning in the city, the 11am deadline came and Steen admitted defeat. She had 18 of the 20 nominations from Oireachtas members required.

Steen, flanked by her husband Neil, addressed the media and said while she had not made it onto the ballot, she did not feel like she had lost. On her arm she carried a blue Hermès Birkin bag.

The bag is one of the most difficult bags to acquire and, when purchased new, can cost upwards of €10,000, depending on its size and material.

The Steens, both successful lawyers, are known to be consistently well dressed, but Maria Steen had shied away from any outright displays of expensive clothing or accessories until her presidential battle was over. 

The internet was abuzz with how much the bag cost, with critics saying it was crass for the almost-candidate to have such an expensive bag on show. Steen later said she had worn the bag deliberately to “expose the hypocrisy of the left who don’t love the poor; they just hate the rich.”

TD Ruth Coppinger wrote on X alongside an image of the couple: “Straight off the set of Mad Men, with a designer bag costing thousands, where do these privileged Iona types get off from legislating on and dictating the lives of poor and working class women?”

The criticism doesn’t seem to have bruised the couple. Neil Steen’s X bio contains the quote “straight off the set of Mad Men”, attributed to Coppinger.

Today, on a panel on RTE Radio, the topic of Steen’s bag was once again raised.

Journalist Alison O’Connor broached the subject with the conservative campaigner. 

“I’m going to ask the question now, that I’ve been dying to ask you – and that’s about the handbag,” O’Connor asked.

Steen replied: “I mean, I was asked, was it deliberate? And I said, yes, I thought carefully about what I was going to wear that day.

“I didn’t know whether I would be going to Customs House with my nomination paper or whether I would be giving a concession speech.

“But either way, I thought, I’m putting myself forward for the highest job in the land. I should make an effort and I should try to look my best for the sake of the people whom I am asking for their permission to represent them.”

The bag was a gift from her husband Neil “many years ago”, she added, saying it was “a sign of affection and appreciation, and it cost nothing like the figures that were mentioned”.

Steen also described her frustration on the programme about criticism she faced by many who said she had begun her campaign too late in the day, saying that this wasn’t the case.