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'Not on my horizon' - What Micheál Martin said when we asked if he'd ever run for the Áras

The Fianna Fáil leader isn’t giving much away about his party’s Áras plans either.

FIANNA FÁIL LEADER Micheál Martin has said running for the presidency is not on his horizon. He’s not saying just yet either whether his party will run a candidate in next year’s expected election.

Michael D Higgins has said he won’t declare whether he’s seeking a second term or not until after the summer. Either way, given the current makeup of the Dáil, it’s expected there will be an election for the role.

Independent senator Gerard Craughwell intends to run, and is beginning to write to fellow Oireachtas members to seek the nomination.

Other figures have also indicated they would be interested in running, and it’s likely more prospective candidates will emerge in the coming months.

“We don’t have a candidate considered, no,” Micheál Martin said in an interview with TheJournal.ie, adding that it would be something for Fianna Fáil to consider in the new year.

I have been very reluctant to comment on the presidential election too early out because I actually do believe, in an old-fashioned way, that the dignity of the office allows the incumbent to conduct their duties in that space.

There have been rumours in political circles that Martin may seek the nomination himself – which would be an unusual move for the leader of a major party.

“I am looking at a completely different position entirely. Not on my horizon,” was Martin’s response, when we asked if he would ever consider it.

We also asked whether he might back former Fianna Fáil Taoiseach Bertie Ahern for the role. Here’s how that exchange went:

TheJournal.ie: What about Bertie?
Micheál Martin: You are being cheeky now before Christmas.
TheJournal.ie: It’s a legitimate question.
Micheál Martin: Well as Bertie said ‘Michael D Higgins is doing a great job’.

Ahern, when asked most recently whether he would rule out an Áras run, just before Christmas, instead chose to heap praise on the incumbent, and said that he and Michael D were good friends.

Pressed again by RTÉ’s Sean O’Rourke on whether he would rule it out, he simply replied “no”, and wished listeners a Happy Christmas.

Road to the Áras 

Potential candidates need the backing of 20 TDs or senators to get on the ballot for the election, which is likely to take place in October. They can also run with the backing of four city or county councils.

Fine Gael are widely expected to back Higgins for a second term if he decides he wants one. ”Fine Gael will consider the matter of the Presidential Election when President Michael D Higgins makes his intentions known,” a party spokesperson told us via email.

It’s thought that some party bosses in Fianna Fáil may not want to go to the expense of challenging Higgins.

However, according to a story published in the Irish Independent last Saturday, an overwhelming majority (94%) of the party’s councillors want a Fianna Fáil candidate in the race.

Miriam O’Callaghan and former news anchor Anne Doyle were among the names proposed by the councillors, according to the paper.

- With reporting by Christina Finn  

Read: RTÉ’s Tony Connelly on Brexit leaks: ‘If you suppress a paper you’ve been given, you’re crossing a line’ >

Read: Coveney has no regrets about making promises about family homelessness >

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16 Comments
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    Mute mary conneely
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    Jul 3rd 2015, 5:13 PM

    And if Shannon are cute they will give them an hour in duty free while they are waiting

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    Mute Mary Cullinane
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    Jul 3rd 2015, 4:58 PM

    Nightmare stuff for the passengers at the time I’d say. Glad all is well anyway & better be safe than sorry.

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    Mute Craig Barry
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    Jul 3rd 2015, 5:41 PM

    This is becoming almost a weekly occurrence – so many diversions as of late..

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    Mute Mick Rooney (TIPM)
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    Jul 3rd 2015, 6:22 PM

    … or just being reported more in the news, Craig.

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    Mute Mark Collins
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    Jul 3rd 2015, 6:39 PM

    Been working in shannon since 2006 and in my opinion that is the only difference it is making the news when before it didn’t

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    Mute Mick Rooney (TIPM)
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    Jul 3rd 2015, 7:05 PM

    With 3000+ aircraft in the air at any given time you can be sure that a handful of pilots are dealing with issues from unruly passengers, to ill passengers, poor weather, tech issues, faulty cockpit alerts; all of which can lead to a diversion or declared emergency. I made the point on a separate thread RE the 787 diversion to Shannon this week, that if every news agency were to report every aviation incident then there would be little space left for other local and international news.

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    Mute Tom
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    Jul 4th 2015, 2:35 AM

    Well 787′s were a bit flammable for a while there!
    Hopefully that’s all sorted by now.

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    Mute Scott Crossfield
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    Jul 3rd 2015, 8:10 PM

    Plane is just out of retirement to cover for the one damaged in the hailstorms

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    Mute Tom
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    Jul 4th 2015, 2:35 AM

    The incident over china?
    Wonder how long it will take them to repair that plane.

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    Mute AN other
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    Jul 3rd 2015, 6:10 PM

    Maybe they’ll get pre-clearance now that they’re taking off from shannon directly to the states

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    Mute Spoddgy
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    Jul 3rd 2015, 8:28 PM

    Delta seem to be a great airline

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