The Prime Minister revealed he knew about a potential dispute involving Jim Gavin and a tenant before Gavin was chosen as Fianna Fáil’s candidate for the presidency.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin explained that Gavin’s selection followed a party vote in which he defeated MEP Billy Kelleher. Gavin later withdrew from the race after it surfaced that he owed more than €3,000 to a former tenant.
After Fianna Fáil published its review of the presidential campaign, Martin said a September 5 call from Irish Independent journalist Fionnán Sheehan alerted his team to the question of due diligence and whether there was a tenant dispute involving Gavin. According to Martin, advisor Deirdre Gillane briefed Martin and Fianna Fáil General Secretary Seán Dorgan, who then asked Gavin about the matter.
Gavin told Dorgan, according to Martin: “There’s no issue with a tenant, I never had an issue with a tenant.” Martin added that this was the end of the matter at that time.
Nevertheless, the Taoiseach stressed that no one was aware of the debt at that point. “It was just a query, not anything like what later emerged.”
Martin, speaking on RTÉ’s Today with David McCullagh, said he later heard of the Gavin-tenancy issue—where the tenant was a journalist—the the day before Gavin was selected on September 9. He noted there were “lots of rumors” about everyone involved, Gavin included. When the query was raised, Gavin again said there was no issue.
Martin said there was no public or court record confirming the dispute, and that knowledge of it would have had to come from a primary source, either the tenant or Gavin. He said Gavin was emphatic that no issue existed and that he did not even have a journalist as a tenant, though the former may not have been aware of that person’s journalism at the time.
Martin confirmed the Fianna Fáil review was sent to Gavin’s lawyers, with no substantial changes beyond possibly removing some personal details.
He acknowledged that the party mishandled the process of selecting Gavin and accepted full responsibility. He described Gavin as having significant strengths.
Regarding why he met Gavin only once before the nomination, Martin said he had attended events chaired by Gavin and relied on informal checks with people who had worked with him. He reported receiving largely positive feedback about Gavin.
Martin criticized the process as flawed and suggested deadlines and earlier declarations of candidacy for future selections. He added that polling at the time showed Gavin as the only viable Fianna Fáil candidate, and that he had not heard from Kelleher about seeking the presidency until late August. He asserted that no other contenders had a realistic chance at the time.
The Taoiseach stated that his single face-to-face with Gavin about the presidency was a lengthy conversation in which they discussed the opportunity, pressures, and potential pitfalls. Gavin wanted to discuss it with his family before proceeding.
Martin claimed there were no other candidates with real potential, and that the final test required parliamentary party approval. He recalled that in July he didn’t view any other candidates as realistically ready.
He asserted that the party did not have a proper process and that the situation couldn’t be dismissed as a mere footnote, especially given the €400,000 invested and the ongoing need to mobilize the party apparatus.
Pat The Cope Gallagher, a former Fianna Fáil minister, warned that the controversy isn’t over and that answers still matter. He questioned how a single meeting could lead to Gavin securing national support, and urged a broader examination of party structures and backbench engagement.
Ireland’s MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú described the review as unsatisfactory and a missed chance to fully document the facts on the public record. She called the episode a “gross mistake” but not a resignation-triggering issue for the Taoiseach, and urged stronger procedures to prevent a repeat. She emphasized that grassroots members were upset and that decision-making should involve more input from rank-and-file members rather than being top-down.
A Fianna Fáil TD later said the party’s leadership remained secure despite criticism of the process. At a lengthy Leinster House meeting, party members aired frustration that the process sidelined the parliamentary party. Séamus McGrath, representing Cork South-Central, described Fianna Fáil as “damaged” but capable of recovery, and urged moving forward while applying lessons from the presidential episode.
Thomas Byrne, Fianna Fáil’s Minister of State for European Affairs, noted that party officials relied on Gavin’s own statements regarding the tenant issue, noting that no public records existed to cross-check. He stated that there were no specific instructions or information beyond what had been already investigated, and that the due-diligence process depended on the candidate’s account. He acknowledged ongoing questions about an unpaid rent refund and noted there were other false social media claims about Gavin at the time, which the party sought to address through due diligence.
