Bertie Ahern both welcomed and cursed by Fianna Fáil rank and file on his return
Da Bert is back.
And with a bang, judging by his political comeback at the Clayton Hotel in Dublin’s Ballsbridge on Thursday night.
It truly was a Second Coming for the man that was once the political Messiah for Fianna Fáil, a leader who guided his party to three huge general election wins in 1997, 2002 and 2007.
And of course he became Taoiseach after the votes were counted on all three occasions, clocking up the second longest time in the office after FF’s other icon, Eamon de Valera.
It was funny that the country’s most famous Northsider of the capital would make his return at a posh southside D4 hotel, but then again, Bertie has always been able to mix it with anyone.
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/bertie-ahern-rejoins-fianna-fail-29168951
His arrival was blockbuster stuff, politically, with a throng of journalists there to stick the mics in his face, two cameras from RTE and a phalanx of photographers to rival a Hollywood Red Carpet walk-in.
I think it’s safe to say you wouldn’t get a larger crowd of hacks at a political shindig on a dark February night unless you were announcing Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson were all signing up to join your party.
Ah shure, as Bertie might say, might as well throw in Liam Neeson and Daniel Day Lewis in dere for good measure too.
Of course, like any Hollywood diva worth their salt, our FF diva, Bertie, was fashionably late, arriving casually at five to eight for a meeting that the sold out tickets said was meant to kick off at half seven.
But here’s where Bertie the political animal confounds categorisation, switching from all-important to everyman.
The politician feted at the White House and once had the balls - or brutal fashion sense - to infamously wear a canary yellow suit at a G7 summit of world leaders, suddenly came across all casual.
He shunned the waiting cameras and lights (he knew exactly where they were) to park his modest 181 D Ford Focus in a quieter corner of the car park where just a couple of us hard-boiled reporters were camped.
Then he took his time getting out of the car, as the camera crews made the quick 50 yard dash to the new impromptu stage, and strolled up the press pack, smiling, with the greeting: “Arrah, good to see youse all,” before putting both hands in the pockets of his suit and giving the obligatory soundbites to the hungry hacks.
Then he left us, strolling off towards the swanky Thomas Prior Hall where a beaming Jim O’Callaghan was on hand to welcome the prodigal son back into the Fianna Fáil fold.
There may be some dissent in Fianna Fáil, and of you cannot whitewash the many political cock-ups on his watch.
But to paraphrase another Fianna Fáil rogue, the grandiose Charles J Haughey, he has done the State some service.
We’ll get back to ‘that’ on another day - promise - but for now we’ll let Bertie enjoy his political comeback.
As one Senator who was clapping like an overexcited seal when Bertie entered the hall said to me: “We haven’t had a crowd like this at one of our gigs since the late 1990s.”
The likes of satirists Oliver Callan and Mario Rosenstock must be delighted.
David Norris and the Mona Lisa
He is one of the most loved and treasured politicians ever to grace the corridors of Leinster House, serving as a Senator for over 35 years.
The esteemed academic represents the debonair demographic of graduates of those other hallowed halls of Trinity College, just around the corner from Kildare Street.
One-time presidential candidate David Norris led a crusade to have homosexuality in this country decriminalised - at a time when it was not easy to do so - and has held a respected position in Irish society for as long as anyone could care to remember.
He was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office, and the longest serving member of the Seanad.
However, there was one position he held in Leinster House that was quite disconcerting. That was his position on a wall - or rather a portrait of the fine gentleman.
They had his likeness in pride of place at the end of the main corridor in Leinster House.
This meant that when you turned the corner to head for the canteen, you were greeted with a forty yard stare as you throttled up the corridor.
The eyes nearly followed you around the corner too. Mona Lisa was getting a run for her money.
Anyway, I must not have been the only one that found it a little creepy, because the portrait has now been moved and has taken up residence on another, shorter, corridor.
This time he is placed facing the gallery of smiling Tánaistes’ portraits. Cheers to him keeping a beady on them for eternity.
Political drones
They do tend to drone on, politicians that is.
But ironically last week started and ended with the drones talking about drones.
I am of course talking about the drone debacle out at Dublin Airport that the politicians were forced to address after flights were grounded because of the apparent presence of drones.
Because apparently one of the incidents was a false alarm, but never mind that! Transport Minister Eamon Ryan was called on to intervene.
Of course, for a man who was once caught snoozing in the Dáil as some of his colleagues droned on, this was manna from heaven for his critics.
Step forward Ryanair, never shy to put the boot into the Government whenever they get the chance.
They tweeted that infamous picture of Eamon grabbing 40 winks along with the caption: “Asleep again @EamonRyan. 3 days of drone disruption.”
The week ended with the gardaí arresting a man for the illegal, disruptive drone activity that causes chaos at airports, with flights diverted and grounded.
Quote of the Week
“Arrahh, good to see youse all.” Bertie Ahern comes out with one of his classic Bertie-isms as he greets journalists for the first time after rejoining Fianna Fáil.
ENDS
