In the past week, it has emerged that a ministerial role could be the price for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to secure the support of the Healy-Rae brothers to enter a coalition government.
The expected ask — at least a super-junior ministerial post — would give the Healy-Raes a seat at cabinet and be in addition to constituency demands.
Michael Healy-Rae is the main vote-getter in Kerry, topping the poll with an impressive 18,596 first preferences in the general election.
It is likely it would be him and not brother Danny who would land any portfolio if one was offered.
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Michael Healy-Rae was first elected to Kerry County Council in 1999 and subsequently won the Dáil seat vacated by his father Jackie who retired as a TD in 2011.
He is married to Eileen, a father-of-five, is a postmaster and service-station owner in Kilgarvan. Michael is also a plant hire contractor and farmer. He has frequently emerged as the biggest landlord in the Dáil in the annual declarations of TD interests.
Along with Danny, Michael was a vocal critic of Green Party policies pursued by the last Coalition amid claims about their impact on rural Ireland.
Formal Healy-Rae involvement in government would likely be a lightning rod for Opposition parties scrutinising the next coalition’s climate action plans.
Jackie Healy-Rae — who died in 2014 — left Fianna Fáil and was elected to the Dáil as an Independent in 1997.
[ Healy-Rae brothers to seek ministerial role in return for backing next governmentOpens in new window ]
He famously went on to make constituency deals for investment in Kerry in return for supporting governments led by Fianna Fáil Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
Now his sons could be poised to do something similar.
Speaking just after the general election Michael Healy-Rae said their priorities in any government formation would be “Kerry, Kerry and Kerry, be that roads, infrastructure, housing, health, fishing, farming”.
During the Fine Gael-led minority government of 2016-2020 the Healy-Raes were opponents of tighter regulations on drink-driving proposed by then Independent minister for transport Shane Ross.
Notwithstanding his disagreements with the brothers, Mr Ross suggested in his Sunday Independent column at the weekend that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael should offer Michael Healy-Rae a full ministry.
Mr Ross wrote that he was a “formidable” opponent with an “agile intellect” and he is “wasted in eternal Opposition”.
Another former Independent minister from that era, Finian McGrath — who was a super-junior minister for disabilities — said that Michael was in contact with him frequently over services in Kerry at the time and “I used to slag him that he’d make a fantastic minister”.
Government formation: what's happening behind the scenes
He also said Michael would be “well able to do it”.
His advice to the Healy-Raes on any constituency investment they might get is the approach he said he took which was “not to be rubbing their [political colleagues] noses in it”.
Former Fine Gael tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald also served in cabinet during the 2016-2020 administration.
She said working with Independents can be challenging but “definitely work”. And the larger parties will have to be very clear that they do not want “on-off support”.
Ms Fitzgerald said Michael is a “pragmatic politician from my experience” and the question for him and others involved in talks is do they want to be in government with the “constraints and opportunities” it brings.
Michael chaired the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs during some key years of the Brexit debate. More recently he chaired the committee examining the contentious issue of assisted dying.
The committee’s report recommended that the Government introduce legislation allowing for assisted dying in restricted circumstances.
However, Michael Healy-Rae was among three committee members who launched a minority report recommending that the existing ban on assisted dying be maintained.
At the time two Fine Gael members of the committee, Alan Farrell and Mary Seery Kearney, accused him of seeking to undermine the main committee report.
Gino Kenny, a People Before Profit member of the committee — who has advanced legislation to allow for assisted dying — said he was surprised when Michael Healy-Rae was appointed chairman of the committee given his position on the issue.
But he said on Monday that the committee did “really good work” and “I always found him to be fair”.
He said he had “no problem” with Mr Healy-Rae putting his name to the minority report as “it didn’t take anything away from the overall result”.
The Dáil later voted to accept the majority report though it remains unclear whether any legislation to bring in assisted dying like Mr Kenny’s Bill will be put before the Dáil.
Regardless of whether there is a ministry for the Healy-Raes in the next administration, they will certainly seek a constituency deal as part of any government talks.
The sum they have in mind is understood to be “considerable”.
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