Mary Lou McDonald and Paschal Donohoe are destined for safe returns to the Dáil in Dublin Central, according to Independent candidate Clare Daly, while Gerard Hutch has insisted his candidacy in the same constituency is genuine.
Speaking at a campaign event on Tuesday, Ms Daly, a former MEP and TD, criticised the outgoing Opposition for not being “meaty enough”, while suggesting her chance to return to the Dáil remains wide-open.
Asked about Mr Hutch’s bid for a seat in the same constituency, she said everyone has a right to put their name on the ballot paper, and “the people of the community will decide” who fills the four seats.
“Obviously, I hope they give one of them to me. I don’t think you have to be an astute political analyst to say that Mary Lou and Paschal Donohoe are certainly going to be safe. After that, who knows?”
Leaders’ debate live updates: Martin accepts it was a mistake to take therapists out of schools
Clare Daly believes Mary Lou McDonald’s seat is safe despite Sinn Fein being part of ‘sedate’ Opposition
Fine Gael says contact with RTÉ over viral clip was ‘appropriate’
Bertie Ahern on campaign trail for Mary Fitzpatrick in his old stamping round
Ms Daly said there is a “strong mood” on the doors that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have “had their day”.
“It would be great to think there’s a possibility of an alternative government outside of that, whether the numbers will be there or not, I don’t know,” she said.
Of the outgoing Opposition, Ms Daly said: “It’s been too quiet, too sedate and we need something a lot more substantial than what we’ve had,” she said.
Former independent TD Maureen O’Sullivan and former republican MP and civil rights campaigner Bernadette Devlin McAliskey both backed Ms Daly at the event.
Ms O’Sullivan recalled her working alongside former independent TD Tony Gregory since the 1970s, adding that the two were driven by the principles of equality, justice and fairness.
“They sound very idealistic, but we know the reality here on the ground of injustice, inequality and unfairness,” she said, adding that Mr Gregory’s voice is “missed” locally, before endorsing Ms Daly.
Meanwhile, Mr Hutch has stressed that his general election bid is a “without a doubt” a genuine one, saying: “There’s no sense in running if you’re not going to be genuine and truthful.”
“The people have asked me to run, they’ve asked me to run over the years and lately, they pushed and pushed me and I’m running,” he said.
Speaking to Newstalk while canvassing on Sheriff Street on Tuesday, Mr Hutch said, if elected, he will try to help the people of his constituency “as much as I can”.
“I’m coming out of semi-retirement to do this for the people, I could just chill out and not do it but they’re pushing me into it and I’m going to give it a try,” he said.
Asked if he wished to move on from his past, the 61-year-old gangland figure said: “That’s all yesterday’s news, you have to move forward, draw a line in the sand, and move forward ...”
Homelessness and affordable housing will be his priorities should he be elected, he said.
Asked if he had any regrets, he said: “Maybe I should have ran as a politician when I was 20.”
Mr Donohoe, meanwhile, said Friday’s general election matters economically “like no other in my lifetime”, amid growing instability across the world, while Ms McDonald said there is a growing momentum behind Sinn Féin, amid improved polling in recent days.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
- Sign up to our Inside Politics newsletter to get the behind-the-scenes take direct to your inbox
