Darragh O’Brien says Jim Gavin controversy became an ‘obsession’ for Fianna Fáil

Darragh O’Brien says internal review is complete and Fianna Fáil must refocus on housing, health and cost-of-living priorities

Jim Gavin withdrew from the election in October after failing to inform the party about a previous dispute with a tenant to whom he failed to return rent overpayments worth €3,300 in 2008. Picture: Conor O'Mearain/RollingNews.ie

A Fianna Fáil minister has said he was "astonished" at how much time was taken up by his party's reaction to its failed presidential election.

Jim Gavin withdrew from the election in October after failing to inform the party about a previous dispute with a tenant to whom he failed to return rent overpayments worth €3,300 in 2008. The disaster caused controversy within Fianna Fáil and led to a 10-week process of an internal review. The review says that Mr Gavin was asked on five occasions about the issue, but never gave full accounts.

However, transport minister Darragh O'Brien said there was "an obsession" with the issue which did not reflect the public's priorities.

"It needed to be reviewed. The presidential election, it wasn't good to put it mildly, we know that. But the report's been done. An independent review was done.

"I'm kind of astonished about the the focus on this. And this is not a criticism of the media, but this seems to have been an obsession in some parts of the media...[the media] have a job to do, but mistakes were made, the report is done, learnings will be made.

This wasn't an introspection by the leadership of Fianna Fáil, not at all. We're getting on with the work that's there.

And I did say respectfully to some colleagues that it's time to move on. We've housing, we've health, we've energy, climate, transport, education, special needs, disabilities. They're the things that matter to people.

The report states that as part of ongoing due diligence, Mr Gavin was asked on September 5 and September 8 about a reference to a dispute with a tenant. The reference was in a telephone call from a journalist to Micheál Martin’s top adviser, Deirdre Gillane, on September 5, and an email on September 8 received by Fianna Fáil’s press office.

However, the report does not say that Mr Martin knew about the issues before they became public knowledge.

Speaking last week, Mr Martin said he still intends to lead the party into the next general election despite internal criticism of his handling of a process that saw Jim Gavin selected as the Fianna Fáil presidential candidate, only to later bow out of the race.

Mr O'Brien said that he, too, believes Mr Martin will lead the party into the next election.

"I don't deal with hypotheticals, and I remember being asked the question in 2020 just after the general election. And I said very clearly at the time that Micheál Martin will lead us into the next general election, which he did. 

"We returned the largest party in the Dáil, the largest party in local government, largest party in the European Parliament, and largest party in the Seanad, and we have the job of work to do. Micheál Martin has my full support. He will, as we've agreed, will then become Tánaiste, and he will lead us into the next general election."