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FORMER TAOISEACH BERTIE Ahern’s comments on immigration, which he made while being covertly filmed, have been described as “vile” by the byelection candidate for the Social Democrats, Daniel Ennis.
Ahern was canvassing on behalf of Dublin Central byelection candidate John Stephens when he was covertly filmed during an interaction on a woman’s doorstep.
The video of the interaction was shared on X, and it showed the woman raising concerns about immigration.
During their conversation, Ahern appears to agree with some of the woman’s comments, saying himself that there were “too many coming in” and voicing particular concerns about arrivals from African countries.
He mentioned “the Congo” by name and also commented on Muslim communities and future generations.
In a statement to the Irish Examiner, a spokesperson said the former Taoiseach “wasn’t aware he was being recorded until the end of the conversation”.
Ahern has since told the Irish Times that he has “no problem” with people from “the Congo” or Africa. He also said he was trying to “calm down” the exchange with his words to the woman.
Speaking to The Journal on his canvas in areas around Phibsborough on Wednesday evening, Ennis called Ahern’s comments “absolutely vile”.
Ennis, who is a Dublin City councillor and a father of two children, said when marches were taking place in the north inner city over immigration, he walked through the door of the international protection (IPAS) centres in the area to meet the people who lived there, with an aim to try and integrate them into the community.
He said those living in the inner city know what it is like to be isolated, forgotten and punched down on by society.
“So I’ll never stand for commentary like that… because that was us once, us in the north inner city, and Bertie knows that, so that’s absolutely vile.”
“We’re in politics to take a brave stance. Leadership is so important, and our language is so important,” he added.
Similar to Sinn Féin’s Janice Boylan, Ennis said the issue of immigration is not coming up too much on the doors for this byelection.
In the wake of anti-immigration protests in East Wall in recent years, Ennis said he understood the local anger, stating that he saw those in a disenfranchised community getting hijacked by “hateful actors”.
“It was a scary time, nobody knew what was going on. There were a lot of good people wrapped up in that, because they were afraid. You know, you fear what you don’t know. Obviously they’re angry because of government neglect,” said Ennis.
However, he said the “drivers that were manipulating” the marches were “really horrible people” who were trying to push a “platform of hate for their own personal gain and their own agenda”.
Ennis, who is a former League of Ireland footballer, is vying to take the seat vacated by former finance minister Paschal Donohoe and has been tipped as a leading contender in the byelection for Dublin Central taking place on 22 May.
However, like Bertie Ahern, he too has hit the headlines this week.
After questions emerged online about his former employment, the Social Democrats said in a statement this week that Ennis was not required to make an official declaration of his involvement with a company whose director was fined for having illegal cigarettes.
The party said Ennis was employed as a warehouse operations manager in the firm and was subsequently appointed company secretary in June 2021.
“He resigned as warehouse operations manager in June 2023 and was replaced as company secretary in November of that year.
“His employment with the company was not listed on his Dublin City Council disclosures because the position of company secretary was an unpaid role and he had left paid employment with the company more than 12 months before the disclosures were signed,” the statement from the party said.
According to the court report in The Irish Independent, Revenue officers received confidential information that cigarettes were being sold by the company without an Irish tax stamp and the shop was searched on May 2022.
Asked about the matter, Ennis told The Journal that he worked as a warehouse operative assembling groceries.
“I was getting the orders ready… it wasn’t my ideal career path. Working there, I never envisioned I would be here now doing this. There’s nothing else to say. I left there in June 2023,” he said.
He explained that he didn’t put it down on the declaration form when he was elected to the council as the form asked about work done 12 months previously.
Ennis denied knowing anything about the illegal cigarettes on the premises.
“I had no knowledge of it. When the raid happened I was as shocked as anyone else in the shop. It was around Covid, my job situation, like everyone else, I think I was the only one out of my friends actually still working. And it was basically week to week whether I was going to have a job.
“So, I had a young child at the time, Wylder; me and Chloe were obviously trying to find a place of our own… I didn’t have many other job opportunities or avenues,” he said.
The byelection candidate added that he only signed on as secretary of the company because the employer had asked him to in June 2021.
“He was the sole director. It was really just admin, and there were no board meetings or anything like that.
Since leaving, he has had nothing to do with the company, he said.
“I haven’t been back. When I left in June 2023, all my positions were resigned… that’s what I thought, that’s why, again, there was nothing on the declaration, because I thought I had finished,” he added.
On the campaign trail on Wednesday evening, constituents raised a number of issues with the Social Democrats candidate, such as bins, litter, and antisocial behaviour.
“We need boots on the ground,” said one woman, who told Ennis that she had concerns that a new policing forum he was involved in for the area would just be another “talking shop”.
Gardaí are visible in areas like Grafton Street, but they are needed in locations like North Frederick Street, she said.
Ennis told the woman that he had called out the justice minister a number of times “for calling some of the behaviour we are seeing as anti-social, where a lot of it is criminal activity, it’s open drug dealing, it’s organised crime”.
Another woman who opened her door to Ennis said she would most likely be voting for People Before Profit as they pledged not to go into government with Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael.
“So I think that will be my deciding factor,” she said.
Ennis responded:
“That’s no problem, well obviously we will be encouraging people to vote left transfer, left I’ve never been in those [government formation] discussions, hopefully I will be very soon. We [the Social Democrats] are going to talk to everybody but obviously some conversations will be shorter than others.”
One man said he had always voted Fine Gael, but was tempted not to vote for them again, telling Ennis it was between himself and Fine Gael’s candidate Ray McAdam.
“The city is in a mess,” he told Ennis.
“The delivery is crap. The money is rolling around the place. But nobody can actually deliver anything,” he said.
“I am very proud of where I come from, but we deserve a lot better,” Ennis replied.
“It’ll be one or two between you and Ray McAdam, one way or the other,” said the man.
Ennis asked the voter to trust him with his number one.
Closing out his pitch, he said: “I’m still fairly new to politics. Some will see that as a weakness. I see that as a real strength.”
Asked by The Journal what he makes of him being talked about as one of the favourites to take the seat, Ennis said:
“I don’t see myself as the favourite. It’s going to be a dog fight. I’m going to need every number one I can get to get over the line and that is what I am advocating for on the doors.”
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