Richard Hogan: There's more to life than the Presidential race — especially for the candidates

Current and former presidential candidates, from left, Independent candidate Catherine Connolly, Heather Humphreys of Fine Gael and Jim Gavin of Fianna Fáil at the first televised debate of the 2025 Presidential Election campaign on Virgin Media’s The Tonight Show in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

The presidential campaign of 2025 is nearly over, and what have we learned? Bizarrely, an awful lot and a whole pile of nothing. I feel like one of the weird sisters offering into the Scottish mist, ‘not so happy, yet much happier’.

Well, the most glaring piece of learning from this year’s race is; one should not enter this process lightly. 

But did we not all know that already? Can we not all see the skeletal remains of previous presidential hopefuls littering the roadside? 

All those wide-eyed optimists tormented with visions of the Áras, the delirium of free match tickets, dinners with foreign dignitaries, the odd school visit here and there and the huge wage packet, not to mention private jet and chauffeur to your local Spar. It’s alluring.

For a political race that really has no power at the end of a potentially life-altering, chaotic pursuit, one would be wise to wonder, why bother? 

Like Michael O’Leary said when asked if he would consider it, “I already have a real job”. The man speaks in excellent soundbites. 

Is there a greater honour than being chosen as the first citizen of this wonderful country? I don’t think so. 

But I’d imagine winning the presidency is like a lap dance; all the initial excitement quickly fades as you realise you’re sitting on your hands, in a damp corner of a room, being told to keep your mouth shut, or the bouncers will fling you out on your ear, while some woman’s yellow hair torments you.

Well, that’s what I have been told they are like anyway.

REPUTATION

Many bids for the Áras were over before they started. Michael Flatley, Joanna Donnelly (wins the award for the most awkward interview in this season’s race), Mairead McGuinness (tipped to win, unfortunately had to pull out for health reasons) Seán Kelly, Conor McGregor (pulled out from his fantasy presidential bid, and it was going so well too in his head).

Bob Geldof wasn’t given the opportunity to pull out; Maria Steen narrowly missed out on getting herself on the ballot by two votes. 

Another aspect of the race to be analysed is how political leaders can prevent independent candidates from getting on the ballot. However, her €20,000 blue Hermès handbag would have probably toppled her.

And of course, the Fianna Fáil candidate, Jim Gavin. The image of Teresa Mannion standing in the driving rain, looking like she had just been saved from a near-drowning accident, stoically declaring to the nation, ‘don’t make any unnecessary journeys’ comes to mind. 

Don’t make any unnecessary presidential bids, because it could ruin your reputation. A reputation, as we all know, can take a lifetime to build, but once tarnished is nearly impossible to rebuild.

The Japanese have beautiful words to capture perfectly some abstract life experiences. Kintsugi, which means the process of putting something back together more beautifully after it has been shattered. 

Unfortunately, for the presidential hopefuls here in Ireland, I don’t think there is Kintsugi for those who launched out in earnest to summit the Áras. Maybe that is something we need to look at also.

I sincerely hope that Fianna Fáil are providing Jim Gavin with a really good duty of care after his bid ended in such controversy. 

When you think of the amount of controversy Trump has managed to side step, it boggles the brain what happened to Mr Gavin. 

He has repaid his debt, and I’d imagine the stress on himself and his family has been enormous. His former tenant, Niall Donald, had stress too. But no more to say there. 

I only want to say, I wish Mr Gavin and his family well. There is more to life than a filthy presidential campaign.

Irish presidential candidates Fine Gael's candidate Heather Humphreys (left) and independent candidate Catherine Connolly during a debate on The Week in Politics at RTE studios in Donnybrook, Dublin.

SCHADENFREUDE

Would anyone worthy of the great honour think about running after this year’s campaign? I doubt it. We all suffer with a bit of schadenfreude; the delight in someone else’s misfortune.

The idea that someone would live 50 or 60 years on the planet and have no regrets or do something they were not proud of, is unrealistic.

Maybe I’m a sinner, but have we not all sinned? Are we looking for Mr or Mrs Perfect to be our president? Would they even be a good president? Do we not want a human being? Messy and regretful like the rest of us? 

Well, now we are left with two candidates: Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys.

Neither of them seems like candidates who will move the country to the polls. How could it get to this? From a population of over five million, we could only manage to get two viable options.

In 2011, we had seven candidates who represented the many elements of Irish society. It seems like there was some interference in the process this time around, which narrowed down the potential scope of options for the Irish people.

When this race finally limps over the line, and we are all put out of our misery, I think we need to look at the process of electing an Irish president. There is obviously something wrong with a process that leaves the country with two options.

Let’s be honest, this year’s presidential campaign was an utter farce. It was an expensive exercise in mediocrity.

There was no one in this race that would inspire any emotional reaction to their aspirations. I wish Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys well; they both seem like sincere and decent people. 

When you see the shenanigans going on across the water, maybe sincere and decent is good enough.

Whoever wins, once the excitement abates, they might catch their reflection looking out the cold window of the Áras waiting for Micheál Martin to give them permission to go on a holiday, maybe, just maybe, they might realise how pointless the whole thing was to begin with.