Presidential election: Jim Gavin says he got 'warm reception' on Cork canvass

Jim Gavin says neither he nor Billy Kelleher wanted a coronation for the Fianna Fáil candidacy in next month’s presidential election.

The former Dublin GAA football manager, who was Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s choice for the party nomination, beat Cork-based Ireland South MEP Mr Kelleher last week, albeit by a much tighter margin — 41 votes to 29 — than had been expected.

The competition had been good for the party, Mr Gavin told The Echo in his first print interview since winning the candidacy.

“That was important, and what was also invaluable to me was how quickly Billy, after the parliamentary party on the steps of Leinster House, supported me 100%,” he said.

“That meant a lot to me, and it sent a very strong signal that the parliamentary party is united in my candidacy for the presidency. I suppose it’s a mark of Billy Kelleher as a man to do that so quickly after the vote.”

Mr Gavin spoke with The Echo on Monday afternoon, on his way out of the Fianna Fáil think-in in Rochestown, before heading for the National Ploughing Championships.

Canvass

His canvass of Cork began early that morning in the Douglas Court Shopping Centre, with the Taoiseach by his side.

“I had Cork GAA royalty meet me, Tomas Mulcahy, Dinny Allen, Der Cogan, and the Cumminses, and we had a great chat about the GAA in the city,” he said.

“We met Ralph Keyes, another sporting legend in Cork, about rugby in the city. Yeah, I just had a really warm reception from people out there this morning.”

Then it was on to the Marina Market, where he met locals and tourists, before heading to Mahon and the Rainbow Club — a charity he has raised funds for in the past.

Getting the obvious Cork question out of the way: Does he have any Cork connections?

“I do, yeah, on my wife’s side, Jennifer O’Sullivan, Jennifer’s dad, Peter O’Sullivan, God rest him, Peter’s family are from Castletownbere, so they used to go there on holidays back in the 80s,” he said.

Political power

Earlier that day, he had received a grilling from reporters in a doorstep interview outside the Rochestown Park Hotel, and had conceded that, while the president has no direct political power, they can use the office to raise important issues.

Later, in our interview, I asked whether he stood over the notion that the president can set the national mood music.

“Yeah, absolutely. I think Michael D [Higgins] has been doing a phenomenal job in this area by highlighting particular issues that are close to the heart of the nation, and I would be of similar thoughts, particularly in speaking for those who don’t have a voice,” he said.

Mr Gavin said he had chaired a government taskforce in Dublin’s north-east inner city, one of the most disadvantaged areas in the country, and he had seen the deprivation and the social challenges that exist in areas where many people have no voice.

Asked whether running for the Dáil might not be a better way to give voice to the voiceless, and to effect genuine social change, Mr Gavin said he had been involved in service all of his life.

He said: 

“I’ve spent 20 years in Óglaigh na hÉireann, I’ve done my public sector work in terms of the Irish Aviation Authority, in some ways protecting the safety and security of the skies from a civil aviation perspective, and then my work in the Dublin citizens’ assembly or the north-east inner city taskforce.

“When I was approached by An Taoiseach and the party to consider running for presidency, my perspective of what the presidency should be was aligned to that of the party, and that’s why I chose to put my name forward. I’m just very proud now to represent Fianna Fáil on the campaign as their candidate for the presidency of Ireland.

“I’ve always been motivated by service to the State. I come from a family background of being a proud Dubliner, but my roots are in West Clare.”

Bringing people together

He spoke with pride that both of his grandfathers had fought in the War of Independence.

However, asked whether they had fought in the Civil War, he said that had not been spoken about when he was growing up: “Those times are long gone, and my presidency, I want it defined as one that brings people together.

“I see a huge role in terms of what I’ve done in bringing people together, in terms of advocating for a kind of consensus, and the work that presidents [Mary] Robinson and [Mary] McAleese did in terms of the North, I think that needs to be built upon in terms of bringing communities together.

“For me, as a constitutional republican, of course there’s an aspiration in our Constitution for a united Ireland.

“But it’s very clear that it has be by democratic means, by agreement by both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland, and I believe that it’s unification of people first and anything after will happen.”

On the issue of the Women of Honour, who had highlighted abuse within the Defence Forces, had he never noticed any such issues in his time serving?

“I’ve proudly worn the uniform of this State for 20 years. I’ve had women in my cadet class, I’ve served with women overseas, we’ve worn the blue helmet of the United Nations, I’ve flown aircraft with women as well,” he said.

“My leadership, my command, has been to the highest standards.”

His experience in the Defence Forces had been “phenomenally positive”, and it had given him great opportunities, but he did understand and had acknowledged that not everyone had the same experience.

“What the Women of Honour have done is they’ve done the State a great service [in highlighting] this issue to the tribunal that has been set up for this, and these matters need to be addressed.”

Housing

He had told reporters earlier that, if elected, he would speak out if he disagreed with the government of the day, offering the specific example of housing. He conceded, under questioning, that Fianna Fáil’s record on housing was “not good enough yet”.

Asked if he stood over that, he said the party’s housing policy was a work in progress: “It’s one of the biggest challenges of our time, and the housing crisis will define this period in the history of Ireland.”

But with confidence and supply starting in 2016, it could be argued that Fianna Fáil has been — in effect — in power for almost a decade.

“And for the last two governments, they’ve stepped up and took that portfolio, which probably wasn’t the easiest thing to do,” he said, “but nonetheless, I do need to say the presidency is above party politics, and I’m very conscious that it’s a presidency of those who are affiliated to parties and those to none.

“I plan to represent all sectors of society and if there are challenges, be it housing, be it Ukraine, be it the horrific atrocities happening in Gaza, if the president feels they need to shine a spotlight on those, as President Higgins has, the president should do that and advocate on those issues.”

Presidential elections are generally acknowledged as the most gruelling of all Irish electoral contests. It’s only a week since Mr Gavin won the Fianna Fáil candidacy, but he said: “If it feels like longer, imagine what it feels like for me.

“We’re just in the preparatory stage of getting the campaign and from the previous campaigns, people only tune in with three or four weeks ago.

“In the coming weeks, we’ll have the official launch of the campaign.

“In the meantime, I’m just looking forward to getting out there and meeting people.”