Hanafin not ruling out move to the Seanad

MARY HANAFIN, the outgoing Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, is not ruling out a move into the Seanad or the idea of running again for the Dáil saying politics is in her blood.

She said she always sees herself in public life and joked she might think about running for the Dáil again if, perhaps, the new government collapses in 18 months.

“Public service is in my bones, politics is in my blood,” she said.

The minister was at the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) conference yesterday — her last engagement as a minister. She said she hasn’t decided yet if she’ll put her name forward for the Senate and recognised that Fianna Fáil has a lot of work to do in rebuilding the party.

She said her brother, John is in the Senate, but she said she hasn’t decided yet what she will do. She said Fianna Fáil is now a “male, rural, small party,” adding that the rebuilding of the party is one that needs to be “urgently addressed.”

She said, jokingly, that she has been made one offer since she lost her Dáil seat and that was from the parish priest who offered her the role of housekeeper.