Fianna Fáil vote on presidential candidate feels about as party political as it gets

There are some TDs, senators and MEPs who feel that the vote on their presidential nominee will also be on the identity of the party

Some within Fianna Fáil argue that Billy Kelleher held his seat in the party's electoral hammering of 2011 and was director of elections in 2016, so he should be given the party's nomination for the presidency. File photo: Brian Lawless/PA

When Fianna Fáil TDs, senators and MEPs get together next Tuesday, there are some who feel that they will vote not just on who their presidential nominee will be, but on the identity of the party.

When Billy Kelleher, sitting MEP, former senator, TD and minister for state comes up against former Dublin Gaelic football boss Jim Gavin in a vote of the parliamentary party, it will be the seasoned insider against the political newcomer and, for some, that raises a question of what Fianna Fáil represents.