Paul Hosford: Bertie Ahern's impact on Fianna Fáil still lingers

Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin at the 84th Fianna Fáil ard fheis in the Dublin Royal Convention Centre. Picture:Conor McCabe Photography

Bertie Ahern at the centre of a political talking point, Westlife on The Late Late Show, and Martin O’Neill guiding Celtic to a league title.

It’s been a big few weeks for fans of nostalgia.

In the spirit of looking back, Fianna Fáil’s ard fheis in its 100th year contained an exhibition on the party’s history, charting its foundation in La Scala Theatre in Dublin to the pre-eminent party of the State’s history, and the largest party in Irish politics today.

Dotted around the landings in the Dublin Royal Convention Centre were posters, brochures, and leaflets from different eras of the party’s history including the Lisbon Treaty which was pitched with an ad aping Guinness’s famous “It’s Good For You” slogan.

With the party — as many would remind you inside the gates — the largest in the Dáil and Seanad, even a pair of dismal by-election polls couldn’t hurt attendance, but for many the focus was on one attendee or non-attendee, as the case went. 

It wasn’t quite Hamlet without the prince, but being at a Fianna Fáil event without Bertie Ahern front and centre would be odd even had he not dominated the news agenda for a week.

Mr Ahern, the former taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader, was videoed on a doorstep speaking to a constituent in Dublin Central as he canvassed for councillor John Stephens, saying that he was “worried about the Africans” migrating to Ireland.

Éamon Feeley, aged two, from Blacklion, Co Cavan  at the 84th Fianna Fáil ard fheis. Picture: Conor McCabe Photography

He said while he was not worried about this generation of Muslims, he is worried about the next.

The comments have followed the Government for a week and at a press conference opening the ard fheis, Taoiseach Micheál Martin was called to answer for his former boss, telling reporters that Mr Ahern’s canvassing rights would not be revoked for his comments.

“We’re not stopping people from canvassing, but we are making it very clear to all our canvassers what the party position is and what is permissible and what is not permissible,” Mr Martin said.

“I’m not sure he is continuing to canvass. That’s a whole new horizon that we stop individual people. He didn’t realise it was being recorded — that’s no excuse, by the way.

“We can’t physically stop people from canvassing, but we’ve given very clear guidelines to our canvassers in terms of the principles of the party.

Mr Ahern could have been elsewhere, of course, had he been allowed to run for President last year, the last time he and the party’s leadership had a run-in. 

In Dublin on Saturday, opinion on whether he should have been allowed was somewhat mixed, though most would have taken it over the Jim Gavin debacle, as low as that bar may be.

The focus — some might say obsession — on Mr Ahern shows the shadow that he still casts on a party which he has not held a significant role in for over a decade and a half and from which he was expelled for a decade until a couple of years ago.

While many accept and acknowledge it, some bristled against it, pointing out that the party’s current leader has put in more time in the office than Mr Ahern did and the pair were separated by another taoiseach.

Former taoiseach Brian Cowen and Alan Kinsella of Irish Election Literature at the event.Picture: Conor Ó Mearáin/PA

Indeed, Mr Ahern’s successor as both leader of the party and country Brian Cowen was in attendance on Saturday, greeting delegates and posing for photos.

That Mr Martin was forced to speak about physically restraining the former taoiseach was an interesting visual, but also a reminder of just how
pre-eminent Mr Ahern is, both in Fianna Fáil and in the Irish consciousness.

While the controversy and discussion over Mr Ahern’s comments was largely finished over the weekend, his impact on the party he once led will linger for much longer — even if he isn’t physically in the room.