Bertie – fly in ointment for Dev Óg’s Áras bid!
Bradley Bytes - a sort of political column with Dara Bradley
Éamon Ó Cuív is four times more likely to become the next President of Ireland than he is to replace Micheál Martin as Fianna Fáil leader.
Fianna Fáil’s finest is sixth favourite with the bookies to take over from his former Galway West constituency rival, Michael D Higgins, in Áras an Uachtaráin.
At 12/1, the bookmakers reckon the Corr na Móna man has a decent shot at the Park.
And yet Dev Óg, grandson of Éamon de Valera, is a no-hoper in the race to be the next leader of the Soldiers of Destiny, with bookies quoting 50/1 for Ó Cuív to take over the reins when Martin either steps aside or is taken out.
Éamó has no appetite to lead the party his grandfather founded; its parliamentary party – Senators and TDs – has long outgrown him, even if he still commands huge respect among grassroots who are more in tune with his social conservatism.
But even still, surely he has more of a chance of being its leader than say, Galway East TD, Anne Rabbitte who is priced at 40/1 to take over from Martin, or James Browne – exactly, who? – who is a, err, snip at 33/1?
Meanwhile, five are short-listed ahead of Dev Óg in the race to succeed Michael D: Mairéad McGuinness (7/2), Fergus Finlay (6/1), Emily O’Reilly and John Finucane and Ruairí Quinn (both 11/1).
Interestingly, Éamó has as much a chance as RTÉ’s Miriam O’Callaghan, who is also 12/1.
To get on the ticket, it’s likely Dev Óg will need approval from the Fianna Fáil party. And for that there’ll be competition. The Soldiers of Destiny decided not to fight the most recent campaign, with private polling telling them Micky D couldn’t be beaten, and so they will almost certainly back a candidate in 2025.
Dev Óg, according to the bookies, is the FF frontrunner, but lurking with intent is former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
Facilitated by an amnesic and/or forgiving national media, the Bert has undergone something of a revival of late and his views on Brexit have been sought by RTÉ and others.
Further indication that the Teflon Taoiseach is interested in the Áras came last week with confirmation in the Sunday Times that he’d sent a letter of congratulations to his long-time nemesis Micheál Martin upon the latter’s elevation to the office of Taoiseach. The Bert boomerang could scupper Éamó. For more Bradley Bytes, see this week's Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.