Taoiseach Enda Kenny has again told his would-be successors as leader of Fine Gael to be patient, indicating that he will not be standing aside anytime soon.

Mr Kenny made the latest comments at a Fine Gael event at which Ministers Leo Varadkar and Frances Fitzgerald, two of the frontrunners to succeed him as party leader, were present.

The event, attended by 300 people, was held in the Dunraven Arms Hotel in Adare, Co Limerick, on November 4th in honour of former TDs Dan Neville and Michael Finucane.

Simon Coveney, another Minister who is also seen as a contender for the Fine Gael leadership, did not attend the Limerick event but sent a message, which was read out from the podium.

Those at the meeting said Mr Kenny made his comments, seen as half-joking and half-serious, during an after-dinner speech.

In one of a number of speeches made on the evening, Mr Finucane said he was spending time with local community organisations in Newcastle West, Co Limerick. Unlike in politics, he joked, there was not much jockeying for positions of responsibility in such organisations.

In response, Mr Kenny joked that there was certainly interest in the top job in Fine Gael.

Patience, patience

The Taoiseach then told those wishing to succeed him that they needed to be patient, outlined the work that needs to be done by the Government in the months and years ahead, and said he would not be stepping aside for some time.

The Taoiseach’s critics in the party want him to stand aside by next summer at the latest.

Last week’s remarks echoed a similar statement made by Mr Kenny last month at the Fine Gael president’s dinner in Dublin, where he said those wishing to be party leader needed more time to show “their mettle . . . characteristics and ability”.

At the same event, he also said he would not be stepping aside for “quite some time yet”.

“They’ve got to have some time, and I mean this as a point of seriousness, to show their mettle and characteristics and ability,” Mr Kenny said at the president’s dinner.