'I'll be consensual in my approach': Cork's Billy Kelleher to seek FF presidential nomination

The race for the Fianna Fáil presidential nomination formally began yesterday — and the starting gun was fired in Cork.

By early morning, sources close to Billy Kelleher were saying the Ireland South MEP was about to announce that he was seeking the support of Fianna Fáil’s parliamentary party.

It is understood that there have been tensions between Mr Kelleher and the Taoiseach since last week, when Mr Kelleher called for the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party to meet urgently to discuss the presidency.

At the time, Mr Martin told The Echo that his intentions on the matter were very well known in the party, and he said he would speak with the party over this weekend.

According to several Fianna Fáil sources, Mr Martin had strongly favoured former Dublin football manager Jim Gavin as a potential nominee.

Then, on Wednesday, Mr Kelleher told the Taoiseach he intended to seek the nomination.

There are 71 members in Fianna Fáil’s parliamentary party, made up of 48 TDs, 19 senators and four MEPs, and if there is to be a contest for the party’s nomination, it is they who will vote on it.

On Thursday evening, according to a number of parliamentary party members, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Jack Chambers, the public expenditure minister and deputy party leader, began calling members to urge them to support Mr Gavin’s nomination.

Endorse

Yesterday morning, Cork North Central TD Pádraig O’Sullivan became the first member of the parliamentary party to endorse Mr Kelleher to seek the nomination.

“I’ll be delighted to support Billy, I think he showed bravery last week when he raised the issue of the presidency in the vacuum that was there, and I think he would make a great candidate for Fianna Fáil,” Mr O’Sullivan said.

Then, at lunchtime, Mr Kelleher told The Echo he had informed Mr Martin that he would be seeking the party nomination.

Asked if Mr Martin was unhappy at this, Mr Kelleher said that, in a democratic party, he didn’t think anybody could be unhappy with “a robust internal debate in an election”.

Pressed as to whether Mr Martin had been displeased, Mr Kelleher said the conversation had been private, adding: “We’ve always had a cordial, courteous, professional, and friendly relationship all my entire life”.

Vision

Asked about his vision for the presidency, Mr Kelleher said that, should he be elected, he would be consensual in his approach.

“You can detect in broad discourse across the globe, people moving to the extremes on the right and the left, divisive discourse trying to divide people rather than bringing people together,” he said.

“And I think that the president would have an important role in sort of setting that template of dialogue.

“And if there is diversity, there is difference on the island, I would facilitate discussion and debate, rather than lurching to the extremes and trying to find division.”

Yesterday afternoon, higher education minister James Lawless became the first parliamentary party member to endorse Mr Gavin.

Confirmed

Independent Galway West TD Catherine Connolly is, so far, the only confirmed candidate, having already secured the backing of Labour, the Social Democrats, People Before Profit-Solidarity, and a range of Independents.

Sinn Féin has yet to announce whether it will support Ms Connolly or run its own candidate.

Heather Humphreys and Sean Kelly are currently in a battle to secure the Fine Gael nomination following the withdrawal of Mairead McGuinness on health grounds.