Paul Hosford: Martin comfortably leading Fianna Fáil right here, right now 

Toiseach Micheál Martin's speech ended up feeling more about where Fianna Fáil has been, and not where it might go.

In the moments before he took to the stage at the RDS on Saturday evening, a short film played in tribute to Micheál Martin.

Entitled 'Our Taoiseach', the video featured tributes from councillors and TDs to the Corkman, praising his steady handling of the pandemic and outbreak of war in Ukraine. With the female narrator repeating the phrase 'Our Taoiseach', the film felt less like a retrospective of 28 months as the leader of a country and more a hagiography designed to whip up the truest of believers.

In the Shelbourne Hall, it was met warmly, if not rapturously. Across the RDS on Saturday, there was respect for Mr Martin. He is a steady hand, he returned Fianna Fáil to the Government benches and he is Fianna Fáil through and through. When Norma Foley took to her feet to warm up the crowd for Mr Martin, her mentions of the Taoiseach were met the same way.

The reactions illustrate that Mr Martin is a man liked in his party, largely. While delegates cited frustration with 'HQ' over communications or other issues, few are openly critical of the Taoiseach. 

But, likewise, few are massively supportive. There is a general level of respect for Mr Martin, with many characterising him as a decent and hard-working man who has managed an historic coalition and, largely kept the show on the road. 

But is there a massive grá for him as a personality? If there is, it wasn't overly evident on Saturday. It is not Arise and Follow Charlie, exactly, but there was no major push to make a change in the immediate future

The Taoiseach started his day on Saturday walking about the RDS floor to the various stands — where different elements of Fianna Fáil from migrants to LGBTQI+ to the party's disability network mixed with NGOs, the Irish Examiner, and a man selling honey. While Mr Martin was stopped along the way for photos and chats, he arrived on time for his interview with our political editor Daniel McConnell. 

It was notable that just a short time later, Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath was 20 minutes late for his interview, the result of being waylaid by picture requests and fans. The beginnings of a future leader or the results of announcing €11 billion in new money just five days previously? It's hard to say. But, by the time Mr McGrath had finished at the Irish Examiner stand with our Deputy Political Editor Elaine Loughlin, a large queue had formed merely to shake the man's hand. In fact, it took Mr McGrath 30 minutes to get to the next row of stands.

That did not mean that the Shelbourne Hall was in any way empty when the Taoiseach gave his speech — quite the opposite in fact. But the entire tenor of the speeches was telling for a few reasons. 

Education Minister Norma Foley TD at the Fianna Fail Ard Fheis in the RDS, Dublin.

Firstly, it was interesting to watch Ms Foley take on the role occupied by a previous Kerry TD, John O'Donoghue as the party's attack dog, using her speech to lay into Sinn Féin as "spineless, baseless and negative".

She questioned Sinn Féin's funding and transparency as well as its policies. While this in itself was nothing new, it was telling that this strategy was hugely popular. While feeding the base what it wants to hear will work in this room, Fianna Fáil must be aware that it cannot simply present itself as "not Sinn Féin" the next time it has to go to the doors.

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

Secondly, it was interesting to watch the Taoiseach's speech hone in on previous achievements — Covid, Ukraine, the Budget — with little in the way of a grand vision. Part of this can be attributed to the coalition government — the Taoiseach cannot do a solo run on policy in the way some of his predecessors could — but it ended up feeling like a speech more about where Fianna Fáil has been, and not a lot on where it might go.

With a weekend panel on Fianna Fáil's identity being one of the best attended and the sense that the party must find a unique voice in Government, the party's music to close the Ard Fheis may have been telling about future positioning. 

As the strains of Fatboy Slim's 1998 hit 'Right Here, Right Now' rang out, it was pointed out that the song had been used before by a political party — Tony Blair's Labour used it to close its 2004 conference.