Enda Kenny was doing the rounds of the crowded room and pressing the flesh after launching Nealon's Guide to Politics in the Irish Architectural Archive on Tuesday.
The main topic of conversation was Kenny’s own intentions but he ignored it completely. The Healy Rae brothers caught him in a pincer move for a photo opportunity which he gladly did. But it was another Kerry man, the Killarney Senator Paul Coghlan, who he was interested in talking to later.
Last night Coghlan recalled that Kenny brought up the subject of Colm Gooch Cooper.
“Enda said to me, the Gooch knew that the time was right to go,” said Coghlan.
“I replied to him: ‘That’s not a fair comparison. The Gooch was grounded by a bad injury and you are fit and full of energy’. But I got the sense that he had made up his mind.”
Made up his mind he had, and for the large cluster of Fine Gael TDs and Senators who gathered on the plinth outside the front door of Leinster House on Wednesday evening, it was all about Kenny and homage bordering on hagiography.
But at the back of their minds was the reality that after midnight, Fine Gael would be without a leader and that 16 days of frenetic and hard campaigning lay ahead.
Vigorous campaigns
The two declared candidates, Simon Coveney and Leo Varadkar, each issued statements extolling Kenny’s 15 years at the helm of the party. It’s expected that within 24 hours both camps will have launched into vigorous campaigns, with Varadkar launching in Dublin, and Coveney in Cork.
Neither of the two other potential candidates, Frances Fitzgerald and Richard Bruton, were available for any comment last night on their intentions.
Most of their colleagues are doubtful that either will run but did not discount the possibility that one or both might seek the support of eight parliamentarians to ground their nominations.
There was no doubt that Deputies thought that Kenny could not have continued for much longer and that now was the time for the party to renew itself, with a fresh leadership. They couched those sentiments in tributes to Kenny. Colm Brophy said the timing was “vintage Kenny, the judgement and timing showed he was very much his own man.”
One of his longest standing and closest allies, Senator Paddy Burke from Castlebar, echoed that: “He said he would do it in his own time and in the best interest of the party. I think the timing was right.”
And so what is the mood. “It’s strange,” said Dublin TD Noel Rock. “We are in a transition mode between the stepping down and the the start of the campaign.
“The expectation is of two candidates but there could be more. From tomorrow morning, it’s ‘Let the Game Begin.”
Senator Catherine Noone said similarly saying “as of tomorrow we are in election mode and are moving into the contest”.
Strong position
Senator Jerry Buttimer became tearful when recalling Kenny’s decision to fully back the same sex marriage referendum. He contended Kenny had left the party in a strong position and the kind of collapse that happened in Fianna Fáil when Bertie Ahern gave way to Brian Cowen would not be repeated.
“There is at lest two candidates and maybe a third. If there is a contest we will hold the candidates to account. What happened in Fianna Fáil was a coronation rather than a contest.”
Dublin Deputy Josepha Madigan said she was confident it would not be a divisive campaign. “I’m sure both candidates will rise above the fray and will conduct a clean campaign.”
The Wexford TD Michael Darcy, a Varadkar supporter, had no doubt there would be no divisions, either during or after the contest. Like Buttimer, he said the contested nature of it would allow the mettle of potential leaders to be tested.
Asked about it being divisive or creating a split, he said: “We have to make sure it won’t. There is the potential for that. Whoever wins will be the next Taoiseach. I expect a strong vigorous campaign from both sides. But I have confidence in ability of both candidates to act in the interests of the party.
“Whoever wins through will lead the party with unity.”
