'Selfish' Micheál Martin damaged Fianna Fáil with 'victory lap', TDs claim

Fianna Fáil sources told the Irish Examiner on Sunday that there was “depression” and “despondency” within the party, with some lashing out against party leader Miicheál Martin. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

Taoiseach Micheál Martin is facing further backlash from Fianna Fáil TDs who have branded him “selfish” and accused him of damaging the party as part of his “victory lap” in the wake of dismal by-election performances.

Furious politicians warned that the party had become “transfer toxic” and was being blamed for an unpopular budget and the fuel protests.

This is despite Fianna Fáil’s coalition partners, Fine Gael, winning the Galway West by-election with its candidate Seán Kyne in a tightly contested race that saw him overtake Independent Ireland's Noel Thomas on the 11th and final count.

It follows abysmal by-election results for Fianna Fáil in the Dublin Central and Galway West competitions, which saw the party failing to reach double-digit first preference votes in either race.

It even recorded its lowest ever election result in the former Bertie Ahern Dublin Central heartland, with John Stephens receiving just 4.2% of first-preference votes. His vote share was so low that Fianna Fáil will not get its election deposit back.

The Dublin Central seat was won by Daniel Ennis, who will become the second Social Democrats TD for the constituency.

In Galway West, Fianna Fáil's Cillian Keane received just 8.8% of the first-preference votes. However, he was unable to attract transfers in the aftermath.

Fianna Fáil sources told the Irish Examiner on Sunday that there was “depression” and “despondency” within the party, with some lashing out against Mr Martin.

There has been growing frustration with Mr Martin’s leadership in recent months, but no challenger has put themselves forward for a coup.

One TD described the by-election results as the “latest blow to facilitate the great Micheál’s victory lap”, warning that he had brought the party to “new lows” in both these by-elections and the one held in Dublin Bay South in 2021.

If he had any care for the party, he'd have gone a long time ago

TDs questioned how the “so-called largest party” in the State can be “so off message” and “so out of touch politically, organisationally, socially” to the point where its Dublin Central and Galway West candidates polled at 4% and 9% respectively.

“[Mr Martin] should have fallen on his sword after the presidential, then in recent weeks and again now, but he won't,” they added.

“He's selfish. He's destroying the membership.” 

No potential contender

However, several TDs acknowledged that there was no potential challenger for a leadership competition.

Some Fianna Fáil politicians also expressed concerns about the impact it would have on the next general election, which is due to take place in November 2029.

One TD said that the by-election results would be considered “average” in local elections,  raising particular concern about the results in Galway West.

“The party is on the floor. It has lost its identity and, unfortunately, has lost rural Ireland now as well,” they said.

They added that the party’s vote had “collapsed” outside the M50 and, if a general election were to be held in the morning, they feared it could return as few as 15 TDs.

Several Fianna Fáil members also expressed concern that the party had become “transfer toxic”, despite being transfer friendly in the last general election.

At a Fianna Fáil centenary event in Bantry on Saturday night, Cork East TD James O’Connor said that people feel “disconnected from politics” and that “decisions made in Leinster House are distant from the realities of their lives”.

“Democracy only works when people believe that participation matters,” he said.

“It only works when people believe that Government listens, and it only works when politics delivers outcomes that people can actually see and feel in their ordinary and everyday lives.

“That is a challenge facing modern Ireland, and it is certainly a challenge that is facing Fianna Fáil.” 

Mr O’Connor also said that Fianna Fáil cannot be a party which “merely explains why problems cannot be solved” or asks communities to “lower their expectations”.

He added: “We should never accept a politics where citizens feel they must shout louder and louder simply to be heard."

He added that Fianna Fáil must “listen more carefully”, and understand that “frustrations in communities are often rooted not in ideology but in the simple feeling that nobody is paying attention”.

On Saturday, Mr Martin denied suggestions that his leadership was under threat.

• Louise Burne is the Political Correspondent with the Irish Examiner.