MICHEAL MARTIN MAY RECITE THE COLLINS LINE
The individual who many describe as the Father Of Our Nation, Michael Collins, famously or infamously, depending on what way you look at it, proclaimed “I may have just signed my own death warrant there” upon agreement of the Treaty which led to the construction of Ireland as we know it today.
In other words, with more than a fifth of the country under occupation and direction by those who – at the time in question anyway – would have been considered the mortal enemies of the State.
Now, thankfully, attitudes have softened to history-enabling levels since those days. But back then, the lines from the beautiful, emotionally moving ballad Michael by Johnny McEvoy encapsulated the feelings of a nation: “Was it friend or foe who shot you down”? I’d have my own view on that, but to be honest it doesn’t sit well here at all.
Fast forward to now and, while it’s unlikely Micheal Martin will literally be shot at, but, with the Gavin gamble perhaps predictably but unfortunately having backfired spectacularly, An Taoiseach’s political career is surely toast at this point.
You would have to wonder who goes digging for such ‘dirt’ and whose behalf they do it on. To me, it’s utterly despicable and, while this sort of below the belt digging seems to be aimed at candidates from one party in particular, it is not confined to them.
Right, so Jim Gavin has now become the third Fianna Fail candidate to have their Presidential aspirations derailed by malicious mud slinging – suffering a similar fate to those of Brian Lenehan Snr and Sean Galllagher.
But so too were the ambitions of both Adi Roche – who from memory ran for the Labour Party – and Dana (Rosemary Scallan) left in a quagmire after the dung agitators had stirred enough sh1t so as to neutralise whatever threat those that were so afraid of the change the ‘unusual’ candidates might possibly bring with them.
Even leaving personal feelings aside, one cannot but feel sorry for Gavin. Firstly out of a feeling, referred to in an earlier piece in this space https://boylantalkssport.com/2025/08/28/gavins-genius-wasted-behind-the-trees-in-the-park/ that the man’s undoubted talents would be wasted in the big house in the Phoenix Park. But, even more so, because of the bitter begrudgery of whoever the meddlesome muppet was that decided to sabotage Jim’s Presidential campaign over a paltry sum of €3,300.
However, putting disappointment on a personal level for Jim to one side, the calamity represents an odious clanger dropped by Micheal Martin. Not his first – see his parachuting of Grainne Seoige onto the party’s ticket for the last General Election – but one wonders how many more howlers the embattled leader can survive.
Now, whether Martin does go or, indeed, is removed from his position as leader, it still won’t have corralled the elephant in the room – the major malfunction which has quite obviously inhibited election candidate selection for longer than many in the party would like to admit.
At this point. in the interest of honesty let it be said said that I would not be Billy Kelleher’s biggest fan by any means. Not that anybody could be, Billy’s biggest fan is, of course, himself. If there was a vacancy for Pope he’d run for it, and the equally insufferable John McGuinness would probably be his sidekick.
However, my personal likes or dislikes do not or cannot detract from the fact that both men are long standing elected representatives in the party and have achieved significant status therein owing to their accomplishments in political life. Thus, both would have been well entitled to consider themselves perspective candidates had the Taoiseach not – in a move reminiscent of other far less palatable world leaders – gone over the heads of all and sundry and catapulted in his own man.
To my mind, there are two ways of looking at the status of the Irish Presidency. If, as in reality is the case, it is just seen as a ceremonial title, does there have to be the formality of an election or could the role not be filled by appointment of the Council Of State, for example? By which methodology you could have ended up with somebody like Mairead McGuinness – if illness hadn’t intervened – or Bertie Ahern or, if it was being done in a ceremonial sense, somebody like Fr Brian D’Arcy.
If, on the other day, it was felt that it could be a meaningful and productive role then an election for the position is obviously more apropriate. But surely there has to be more stringent criteria by which one is deemed fit to run for office.
And finally, a Presidential term of office should be no longer than five years. The same as the lifespan of an elected Government.
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