Taoiseach Micheál Martin has revealed that “up to 20 names” were mentioned as potential presidential candidates for the Fianna Fáil party.
The party’s presidential candidate, Jim Gavin, has the experience required to be president and would be active in the role, Mr Martin said on Tuesday.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland, Mr Martin said “people came to us and suggested him [Mr Gavin]. We then met him and engaged with him.
“Jim gave it great thought, as is his wont. I mean he didn’t rush into this. He is a person of considerable substance, experience,” Mr Martin said.
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Deciding on a candidate for the presidential election had to be “strategic”, the Taoiseach said, adding Mr Gavin had an impressive background and that he felt the former Dublin manager was a “potentially strong candidate”.
“My own sense was he had the breadth and the depth to be a very serious candidate. I’m somewhat struck that people seem to think nowadays that you have to have party political experience to be a candidate for the presidency. That’s a new development really, in a sense, because that would restrict the presidency to just one cohort and category of people.
“I actually think that he [Mr Gavin] has very significant experience that covers all the various capacities that are required to be president. I think, above all, he will be an active president,” Mr Martin said.
“After having spoken to him, I spoke to quite a number of people who worked with him, who knew him, and who spoke very, very highly of his character and his integrity and his capacity to get things done.”
Mr Martin dismissed recent opinion polls that indicated potential “backbench revolt” over Mr Gavin’s nomination.
“Forget about the polls until about the last week, okay? They’re not going to really be a barometer or a metric for what’s going to happen. I think the last ten days will tell a lot.
“The selection of Mr Gavin had been “a legitimate exercise in a democracy”, he added.
Billy Kelleher had energised the party with his involvement, according to the Taoiseach.
“Jim Gavin made the point that he was very struck by Billy’s character in the immediate aftermath of the election in declaring his support for Jim and urging the party to get behind him.”
When asked about his visit to the Oval Office in March and the subsequent engagement between president Trump and Conor McGregor, Mr Martin said he had not been impressed, but there appeared to be a strong MMA (mixed martial arts) component to the electoral base in the United States.
“The views of Conor McGregor are ones I clearly do not share.
“I had a job to do when I visited the president, we had a very courteous, very hospitable engagement with the president and we had a good meeting,” Mr Martin said.
“We have a very strong relationship with the United States economically, politically, family-to-family. It underpins very significant jobs in this country and that’s important for people in terms of bread and butter on the table.”
