O'Rourke: FF did not handle Byrne issue well

Veteran Fianna Fáil figurehead Mary O'Rourke has said that she is not surprised Gay Byrne decided against running for the Presidency, as the issue was "handled wrongly" by her party.

The 77-year-old broadcaster announced yesterday he would not enter the Presidential race following consultation with his family.

It had been widely speculated he would contest the election, and opinion polls had put him as favourite to win, even though Mr Byrne had not put his name forward.

Former Fianna Fáil minister O'Rourke said the situation could have been handled better by her party.

"I felt he (Byrne) wouldn't run, and I felt that we in Fianna Fáil… it was handled wrongly," she said.

However she insisted she did not blame party leader Micheál Martin for the debacle.

"I would have preferred a far more nuanced approach," she said, adding that TDs and Senators should have been involved in consultation.