EU commissioner Michael McGrath has said he does not anticipate that Taoiseach Micheál Martin will be stepping down from his role “any time soon”.
Mr McGrath, who has the justice portfolio in the commission, defended the Fianna Fáil leader in advance of what is expected to be a tense party meeting on Wednesday night.
Mr Martin will face further criticism from backbench TDs and Senators over Fianna Fáil’s failed presidential campaign and the performance in Government.
The former Fianna Fáil minister for finance said he has “full faith” in Mr Martin’s “resilience and ability to come through this period”.
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Mr McGrath, who worked “very closely” with the Taoiseach for many years, said they had met briefly on Sunday at the FAI Cup final in Dublin.
Speaking in Brussels on Tuesday, Mr McGrath said it had been “a very difficult few weeks for him [Martin] and indeed for his family”.
Earlier this month, the Taoiseach sought to defend himself saying that “no one gets it right all the time” and criticising “hurtful” comments from party rebels including fellow Cork TD James O’Connor.
“I think he will know himself when it is time to depart and I don’t anticipate that will be any time soon,” said Mr McGrath. Fianna Fáil’s failed Irish presidential campaign “doesn’t undo 14 years of very strong leadership”, he added.
Reflecting on the election on the day of Catherine Connolly’s inauguration, Mr McGrath expressed regret that “what transpired resulted in a very limited choice for voters”.
“I have no doubt there will be lessons learned.”
A number of TDS have expressed frustration that an internal report on the abandoned campaign has not yet been completed notwithstanding a commitment to present it at Wednesday night’s meeting.
The review is not now expected to be ready until next week. The Taoiseach has not yet been interviewed by the review panel: it is expected to take place on Thursday. Sources in the party have also confirmed that the party’s candidate, Jim Gavin, declined to be interviewed for the review.
Several TDs said on Wednesday that they were frustrated at the delay in completing the review.
“It is annoying,” said Peter ‘Chap’ Cleare, who represents Carlow-Kilkenny. He was one of four TDs who expressed anger at last week’s meeting at being put on a “naughty list” of rebel TDs. The list, composed of 14 TDs and Senators, was drawn up by a ministerial adviser. Louth TD Erin McGrehan, James O’Connor from Cork East and former ceann comhairlle Seán Ó Feargháil also spoke at that meeting.
The Taoiseach was not at last week’s meeting as he was attending the United Nations Cop30 climate summit in Brazil.
“I have no doubt the review will be raised,” said one TD who wished not to be named. “We backbench TDs are the last to find out about anything.
“The housing plan will also be raised. If it’s not up to scratch we won’t be happy. We are sick of lack of delivery and then being given speaking notes on how to speak ourselves out of the issue on local radio.
“There will be no prisoners taken on this. We all like James [Browne, the Minister for Housing] but this is not only our future as TDs it is the future of so many young people that we know and we know they feel like they may not have a home in their future.”
The fallout from Mr Gavin’s abrupt withdrawal from the presidential race has stoked a debate among Fianna Fáil parliamentarians over Mr Martin’s future as leader. He has been at the helm of the party for almost 15 years, making him the second longest-serving leader after Éamon de Valera. However, criticisms over how Mr Gavin was selected and questions over the levels of vetting and checking that were carried out has led to broader questions about the party leadership.
Another senior member criticised the decision-making process in the party and its inability to learn from mistakes.
“We’ve been here before. We had the Sean Fleming review in 2021 which recommended that there be more opportunities for members to contribute to policy formation.
“Another recommendation was that before candidates are selected they should be able to show they can run a campaign and perform effectively in the media,” said the source.
