Despite recently recovering from a hospital stay, Michael D is back on his feet and doing well. It was a scare last week when he was reported to be voting from St Mary’s Hospital. However, everyone quickly remembered that the hospital is located within the Phoenix Park, where Michael’s polling station is also situated.
Meanwhile, there might be concerns for President Higgins, as rumours circulate about four members of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party. They were heard talking about an assassination attempt on a well-liked president while at the theatre in Dublin on Tuesday evening.
Three of them – Niamh Smith, Christopher O’Sullivan, and Malcolm Byrne – are part of the Oireachtas Media Committee. It’s speculated that they are trying to create a spectacle as dramatic, or even more so, than the RTÉ hearings of last year.
They were joined by party colleague, Paidi O’Sullivan, a man known for his love of theatrics. The Green TD Brian Leddin, a candidate in the upcoming mayoral elections for Limerick, interrupted their discussion.
The politicians were attending a showing of ‘The President’, a play by Thomas Bernhard. The plot concerns a scheme to assassinate the leader and his wife in an unnamed small country.
One more Fianna Fáil committee member, Senator Shane Cassells, was supposed to join them. However, after realising he was double booked, he chose to attend a Rick Astley concert instead of the acclaimed theatre production, even sharing a photo of himself at the concert.
The famous 80s singer’s performance clearly won his heart. Indeed, some could say Cassells wasn’t willing to let Astley go. So in the end, he hastily left Leinster House to see his favourite musician.
If things proceed as intended, the Greens are likely to kick off the summer festivities with Mal O’Hara joining their ranks as a new Senator. The Northern Ireland Green Party leader has been chosen by the party’s Seanad election task force and executive committee to contest in the byelection, filling the position left vacant by Sinn Féin’s Niall Ó Donnghaile. Party members were advised about this decision via email last Friday.
The byelection is set for the end of April, with the deadline for nominations scheduled for the 22nd of the same month. Ballots will be distributed on the 15th of April and polling stations will shut their doors at 11am on the 29th.
The successor to Belfast’s Ó Donnghaile will be voted in by a select group of current TDs and Senators. Given the government’s majority in the Seanad, O’Hara, hailing from north Belfast, is expected to secure the seat as a simple geographical swap with his predecessor.
Both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have pledged their support for the Green candidate due to the Greens backing a voting deal in 2021. This deal resulted in the reelection of Maria Byrne (FG) and Gerry Horkan (FF) in by-elections brought on by the resignations of Fine Gael’s Michael D’Arcy and Sinn Féin’s Elisha McCallion.
O’Hara’s victory seems likely unless an unforeseen setback occurs. Potential competition from Green councillor Hazel Chu has been discussed. However, previous unsuccessful independent runs in the 2021 and 2022 Seanad byelections have strained her relationship with the party.
The motion to initiate this latest byelection was presented on Thursday by Pauline O’Reilly, leader of the Greens in the Upper House. In 2021, Senator O’Reilly was among the Green Senators who questioned Chu’s leadership after announcing her intention to run as an independent. Later that year, she succeeded Chu and is currently running as a Green candidate in the Midlands–Northwest constituency for the European elections.
In a message to party members, director of elections and Waterford TD Marc Ó Cathasaigh referred to Mal’s nomination as a thrilling time for the party.
If elected to the Senate, Mal is poised to become a powerful advocate for all communities across the Northern divide. Also, he is set to champion the needs of the underprivileged, the LGBT community, and the environment. Importantly, his election would be historic as he would emerge as the first Northern senator identified as an “other” rather than a unionist or nationalist.
Former Minister of State for Fine Gael, John Paul Phelan, has made it known that he won’t be running in the upcoming general election, citing health reasons as his primary motivation to step back from the intense world of national politics. He announced his decision to take a step back last April, following a doctor’s advice to cut stress levels. He had come to grips with near-ending consequences during the apex of the pandemic, but he was one of the fortunate few to get a second chance.
However, Phelan’s passion for politics is far from completely diminished. Despite his stepping down, he remains vested in Fine Gael’s political processes, especially concerning the executive council election. Serving as a vice president and executive council member, he has shown an interest in being re-elected as vice-president, which many, particularly the hopeful Blueshirts at Leinster House, find encouraging. However, a significant comeback for the Kilkenny man looks unlikely.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael is wrestling with unrest. There were reports of a fiery disagreement between two of its junior ministers last week near the Dáil chamber’s ground floor entrance. Patrick O’Donovan, the current OPW Minister and Limerick County’s TD, has openly criticised MEPs from his party for defying the directive of their EPP group in the European Parliament to support the controversial Nature Restoration Law. This decision stirred significant controversy at Dáil, particularly from rural independents, who bemoaned the devastating effects of the resulting vote on fishing and farming families.
Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Greens – each vigorously campaigning for the European Parliament – are accused of completely disregarding and mistreating farmers and the inhabitants of rural Ireland. The remarks indicate that according to the critics, these parties are intent on impoverishing both rural and urban populations, notwithstanding their claims of supporting the countryside.
The five MEPs from Fine Gael, however, have robustly justified their decision. They argue their final agreement strikes a balance; it promotes biodiversity while at the same time protects food security. Importantly, they reiterated that all remedial measures for farmers will be voluntary. They received full backing from their party leadership in this stance.
However, there was some internal dissent. Patrick O’Donovan, a Junior Minister with a primarily rural constituency, broke party lines and openly criticised the Fine Gael MEPs for backing this critical environmental legislation. During an interview with Radio Kerry, O’Donovan expressed considerable concern, arguing the law would exacerbate the protection of properties against flooding and ominously predicted there would be consequences.
His cautionary words were swiftly seized upon by the law’s detractors. This law aims to restore a minimum of 20% of EU land and maritime area by 2030 and to regenerate all ecosystems by the year 2050.
Caught amidst this debate was the Junior Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon. Himself a farmer, Heydon has maintained staunch support for his fellow MEPs in Europe, a stance which has resulted in fiery exchanges between him and his ministerial colleague.
Eyewitnesses say a heated argument ensued, with Heydon accusing O’Donovan of abandoning the MEPs, likening it to tossing them under a bus.
Meanwhile, Brian Murphy, Taoiseach’s chief-of-staff, is said to have chastised the defiant TD for his non-compliance, which might potentially benefit him in constituency politics.
During last year’s St Patrick’s festivities, Mary Butler, the Health Minister of State for Fianna Fáil, decided to forfeit her international trip and instead opted for a restful stay in Ireland in the company of her friends. This decision followed a taxing year during which she battled skin cancer, undergoing two surgeries before her condition was declared stable. To add to her misfortune, she then contracted Covid.
For this year’s proceedings, Mary planned a trip that included Cyprus, Italy, and the Holy See. Intrigued by the idea of gifting the Pope a bowl of shamrock, she enquired about the feasibility of such a proposal. To her amazement, the Vatican confirmed that the Pope would be more than happy to accept the national symbol of Ireland.
During her visit to the Vatican, the Waterford TD is set to present Pope Francis with the carefully selected shamrock. The news thoroughly delights her.
While she is in the Holy See, she could potentially dedicate some prayers for her political competitors, Independent TD Matt Shanahan and Fine Gael Senator John Cummins. These two have been the source of much political theatre in Waterford city, competing fiercely for media attention and public support as the general election approaches.
In the meantime, Mary is looking forward to a short respite from the increasingly hostile climate of Irish politics. She has repeatedly expressed her concerns about threats being directed towards politicians and their staff in recent times. A story was brought to light by Damien Tiernan, a journalist at WLF FM in Waterford, revealing that local police are investigating a suspected attack on Mary’s personal vehicle. The vehicle was parked in the Barker Street part of the city when the incident occurred.
Furthermore, it was discovered Mary’s car had one of its tyres brutally punctured with a combination of a knife and screwdriver. At the time of the incident, she was addressing a National Women’s Day congregation in nearby O’Connell Street, spreading a message against racism.
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