Heather Humphreys defends record in RTÉ television interview

By Bairbre Holmes, PA

Presidential hopeful Heather Humphreys said she “made a mistake” in appointing a supermarket owner, with no previous experience, to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

Speaking on The Katie Hannon Interview Live on RTÉ on Monday, the Fine Gael candidate was questioned about a number of cases relating to her time as a TD and minister.

Ms Hannon suggested the board appointment was because party leader Enda Kenny wanted to “burnish his credentials so that he (the supermarket owner) could stand in a by-election for the Seanad cultural panel”.

Ms Humphreys blamed her political inexperience, saying: “I was a new minister at the time and I made a mistake, and I learned from that mistake.”

She also said she was “sorry” if a bereaved mother “felt that I didn’t do enough for her”.

Lucia O’Farrell has been critical of Ms Humphreys’ support during her campaign for justice for her late son Shane, who was hit by a car driven by a man who should have been in jail.

Ms Humphreys said: “I’m sorry if she felt that I didn’t do enough for her, because anybody that came through my door as a TD, I always did my best, but I’m glad that she has received a state apology.”

Ms Hannon then put a comment by Ms O’Farrell to Ms Humphreys: “If this is your best, it’s very poor.”

She listed a number of actions Ms O’Farrell said Ms Humphreys could have, but did not take, including asking parliamentary questions about Shane, taking part in Dáil debates about the case and supporting a 2018 vote for a public inquiry.

Ms Humphreys said that as minister for justice, she “didn’t want to derail that process by interfering in it”.

Some of the lighter moments in the interview included Ms Humphreys explaining how the demands of the campaign meant she “almost forgot” her 38th wedding anniversary, and which of her pets would make it to Áras an Uachtaráin with her, saying that while her dog would join her, “the cat might be happier at home”.

Later on Monday night, her rival in the race for the Áras, Catherine Connolly, appeared on Virgin Media’s The Big Interview.

The independent candidate was pressed by presenter Colette Fitzpatrick to clarify some of the episodes that have dogged her campaign.

Quizzed about her decision to hire a woman who was convicted of a gun crime, she said: “This is a woman who served her prison sentence, was a model prisoner, was recommended highly.”

She added that former Fianna Fáil minister Éamon Ó Cuív was among those who had provided a recommendation.

On accusations that her 2018 trip to Syria could have been used as propaganda by former president Bashar Assad’s supporters, Ms Connolly said: “It would be very hard to use me as propaganda or to stage manage me.”

She added: “I’m an Independent candidate, with an independent mind.”

Questioned about her relationship with fellow Independent TD Clare Daly, she outlined her stance on Russia saying: “I have repeatedly, openly condemned Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, utterly against international law.”

However, there were issues she was less forthcoming on, refusing to speculate on a number of matters including who she would appoint to the Council of State and whether US President Donald Trump should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

She also refused to specify how she would use her presidential salary, but said she would use at least some of it for “different projects on the ground”.