Seán Kelly signals interest in presidential race as Fine Gael eyes internal contest

Seán Kelly says he will decide within two weeks on whether to seek Fine Gael's nomination for president, citing concerns over the seven-year term

Seán Kelly confirmed he met with Simon Harris and Fine Gael general secretary John Carroll to discuss the party’s plan for the presidential election. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Former GAA president Seán Kelly has indicated he will seek the Fine Gael nomination to succeed Michael D Higgins as president, after Tánaiste Simon Harris called for an internal party contest.

Speaking in Brussels, the current Ireland South MEP confirmed he met with Mr Harris and the Fine Gael general secretary, John Carroll, to discuss the party’s plan for the presidential election.

“I haven’t made a decision, but I met Simon Harris and John Carroll a couple of weeks ago just to find out what the thinking was,” Mr Kelly said.

“They’re quite open to having a competition. I think they would like it because we had no competition for the leader.”

Mr Kelly said he expected the contest within Fine Gael to be conducted by postal vote.

For Fine Gael, speculation has focused on a number of candidates, with several people ruling themselves out of the race in recent months. 

This includes former Fine Gael ministers Heather Humphreys and Frances Fitzgerald.

Alongside Mr Kelly, it is widely expected that former European commissioner Mairead McGuinness will challenge for the Fine Gael nomination.

Despite signalling his interest, and saying he would make a final decision in two weeks, Mr Kelly said he had some reservations about the length of the presidential term.

“Length of term is a deterrent. Seven years, I mean it’s crazy when you look at it.

Mairead McGuinness is widely expected to challenge for the Fine Gael nomination. Picture: Conor McCabe

“Government has five years. Councils are five years. MEPs are five years. [The European] Commission is five years. Trump is only four years, maybe thank God,” he quipped.

Mr Kelly said the seven-year term was long particularly “when you’re coming up in age”.

He said that “one term would be more than enough” if he did go forward to the electorate.

The Ireland South MEP said he was not worried about the significant scrutiny attached to the presidential election, but added things can be “twisted” during the campaign.

He highlighted the campaigns of Mary Davis, Adi Roche, and Seán Gallagher, who were unsuccessful in previous elections.

Mr Kelly said they got such a “hammering” from the electorate that it damaged them reputationally and psychologically.

“All they did was to go forward to be elected, but that’s what happens. 

"When you go forward, you have to be able to take these things,” Mr Kelly said.

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The Kerry MEP said it would be a much easier decision for him if Áras an Uachtaráin was located in Killarney.

“As John B Keane said, for a Kerry man any day out of Kerry is a day wasted. 

"So, seven years, I wonder what you would say about that,” he added.

On Tuesday, Sinn Féin MEP Kathleen Funchion suggested opposition parties could “potentially” support Northern Ireland’s first minister Michelle O’Neill as a joint candidate for president.

Ms Funchion, MEP for Ireland South, said there was a “lot of merit” to left-wing parties coalescing around a shared candidate for the upcoming presidential election.

“You would hope to see that people would row in behind a progressive candidate,” Ms Funchion said.

She could not give direct guarantees that other opposition parties would support Ms O’Neill, who last week declined to rule out a run at the presidency.