Bertie Ahern has been welcomed back into the Fianna Fail party.
A spokeswoman for the party confirmed: “We received a membership application and it was accepted by the party.”
Mr Ahern has rejoined as an ordinary member of the party and is believed to have paid just the regular annual subscription of €20 for this category of membership.
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The former Taoiseach is the most successful party leader of modern times, having won three general elections and been Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008.
His political career appeared to have ended in shame when he left the party 11 years ago in the wake of adverse findings against him at the Mahon Tribunal.
He resigned before there were moves to expel him from the party, with leader Micheal Martin indicating then that Mr Ahern was not fit to be a member of the party.
However, it appears a rehabilitation is now on the cards and there were rumours in Leinster House that ‘the Bert’ could even revitalise his ambitions to run for President, as soon as 2025.
One senior TD told the Mirror: “Bertie is Fianna Fáil through and through, he’s our most successful leader ever, bar De Valera of course, and I think Fianna Fáil people want him back in the fold.”
It is understood that Mr Ahern will not seek to play an active role in the frontline politics of the party.
But it is equally understood that he will play a key and central role in commemorating his and his party’s role in securing the Good Friday Agreement 25 years ago.
The anniversary commemorations will begin in just under two months’ time.
It was last September when Fianna Fáil started to seriously entertain the idea of Mr Ahern being readmitted to the party.
Then-Taoiseach Micheál Martin indicated he would be open to allowing his former party colleague back.
Mr Martin said that he has been engaging with the former taoiseach, particularly about issues around the Northern Ireland Protocol.
It was proposed during a Fianna Fail parliamentary party that Mr Ahern should be allowed to make a return to the party as part of its plans to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Following this, Mr Martin said: “In terms of Bertie Ahern, I have been engaging with Bertie Ahern actually over the last year and a bit, since the rows on the protocol, and he’s very involved in Northern Ireland issues, he maintains contacts with different groups.
“From my perspective, like that level of consultation will continue because I think he has invaluable insights to all of that.”
He added: “He has reached out to communities in the north and is sort of picking up perspectives in different communities and that’s been valuable in terms of engaging and discussions on that.
“No one can take from the contribution he made to peace in Ireland and to the peace process, so the fullness of time certainly we will give him that consideration.”
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