It was a busy morning for the men of Independent Ireland.
The fab four woke, heads spinning, after a private meeting the previous night with Maria Steen of the Iona Institute – a stylish last-minute entrant into the narrowing race to secure a place on the presidential election ticket.
This was high-stakes, highwire stuff.
The media was on full alert.
Independent Ireland issued a communique first thing on Tuesday saying it would be holding a press call on the Leinster House Plinth at 12.15pm to announce its decision on the nomination.
Could things get any more exciting?
Well, yes.
Because another communique had landed, this time from the Healy-Rae camp. The vote of the Kilgarvan jury was in.
Danny himself would be in the vicinity of the Plinth at midday to announce the unanimous result of his personal ruminations on the same issue. In fact, he would be available for publicity purposes from the front door all the way down to the pavement outside the Kildare Street gates.
At the appointed time, the three Indyeye members did the requisite business-like strut to the microphones (Michael Fitzmaurice was missing) to declare the party is backing Steen. Deputy Fitzmaurice was at the previous evening’s hush-hush consultation with the Catholic think-tank’s star performer
“Royal Ascot meets Ballinrobe Races,” was how one observer summed up the freshly-forged alliance between the defenders of rural Ireland and the Ballsbridge born, Blackrock resident, Maria.
Both sides from very leafy surrounds.
Danny rather ruined the exclusive element of this momentous announcement by galumphing in with one of his own. Thrilled with himself. Maria was the only woman for him.
“She’s a breath of fresh air,” he said, adding his name to her growing list of nominees.
Growing, but still shy of the required 20 signatures to get on the ballot paper as the day wore on. She needs those names in the bag by midday on Wednesday to make the cut.
Mother-of-five Maria, who homeschools her children, is a skilled television performer. Extremely conservative on social matters, she rose to national prominence during the referendums on marriage equality and repealing the Eighth amendment on abortion with her uncompromising opposition to both measures.
She was on the winning side, though, during last year’s referendums on family and care, when voters rejected the Government’s muddled constitutional questions on expanding the concept of family.
The fab four appealed to other Independent TDs and Senators to ‘facilitate democracy’ and get Maria over the line
She certainly charmed Independent Ireland during their meeting on Monday night. Cork North-Central TD Ken O’Flynn, who married his husband Francisco in Seville in 2022, said he was supporting Maria’s bid having been assured by her that she would work with the LGBTQ community during her presidency.
His colleague Richard O’Donoghue, from Limerick County, told journalists that his son is gay but he was reassured by Maria’s respectful responses during their meeting.
Independent Ireland put out a statement explaining the decision in more detail.
“We were impressed by her honesty, her candour and her ability to clearly communicate her views and vision for the presidency. We were particularly struck by her determination to be a genuine voice for the people of Ireland who feel ignored and unrepresented by the political establishment.”
Backing her would ensure voters “are given a real choice”.
The fab four appealed to other Independent TDs and Senators to “facilitate democracy” and get Maria over the line.
And they finished with a stupendously ironic last line, declaring she “deserves the opportunity to present her case and the people of Ireland deserve the right to choose”.
Not to be confused with a woman’s right to choose, an opportunity which Maria Steen refused to countenance during the referendum on abortion, which was carried by a landslide vote.
[ Maria Steen: The Iona Institute barrister hoping to become president of IrelandOpens in new window ]
“We are true democrats,” she said outside Leinster House at the start of her charm offensive which was ongoing throughout the day, much of the time with Senator Rónán Mullen by her side.
Meanwhile, the work of Independent Ireland carried on.
So much to do. So much of it in the public eye. A politician has to look his best during these times.
So, from a statement with jaw-dropping last line to a question with an arresting opening line.
Heads swivelled when party leader Michael Collins, during the Order of Business in the Dáil, began his question thus: “Independent Ireland met with the Irish Hairdressers Federation today...”
It was the natural thing to do. But upon closer inspection, his hair didn’t look any different. But there will be a lot of pressure on hairdressers during the coming weeks of the campaign. Good idea for Michael and the boys to get in there first.
But no. Along with giving Maria their blessing, they also wanted to highlight the case of the hairdressing industry which is in a bad way.
“There is a stark future for many hair salons if they do not get a VAT reduction to 9 per cent in January. Hair salons employ thousands of people and apprentices in this country. Suppliers are now refusing to credit many of these salons. There is a huge crisis.”
Meanwhile, also back in Leinster House following his big nomination announcement, Danny Healy-Rae looked mightily pleased with himself, even sending a beaming smile up to the press gallery in between looking at his mobile phone.
Perhaps it was because the old band was back together again, if only for a one-off gig. Once a member of the Roaring Independents, Danny and his brother Michael left to support the Government in return for a sweetheart deal for Kerry.
Last week in the Dáil, Danny Healy-Rae suggested autism may be caused by a lack of vitamins
Now a Minister of State, Michael Healy-Rae has publicly thrown his support behind Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys even though he signed Steen’s papers. But one gets the impression that Danny’s declaration is more in tune with the mood of the Healy-Rae organisation.
But wait. There might have been another reason for his happy demeanour.
While the Indyeyes were communing with Maria on Monday night, Donald Trump was over in Washington about to make bizarre and unproven statements connecting autism to pregnant women taking paracetamol.
Last week in the Dáil, Danny Healy-Rae suggested autism may be caused by a lack of vitamins. His comment was widely condemned.
Maybe he has a direct line to US health secretary Robert F Kennedy jnr, who was standing behind the US president when he made his comments, which have also been widely condemned.
Meanwhile, Maria continued on her hunt for those elusive final nominations. Along the trail were some who might have been expected to lend support. Among them, Independent Senator Gerard Craughwell.
But by teatime, having met the very charming and persuasive prospective candidate – “a very fine lady” – he thought long and hard and resisted her blandishments for the sake of Ireland.
Senator Craughwell was not for turning.
