'Not For Him': Joe Brolly Explains Why Jim Gavin's Campaign Faltered Long Before Bombshell

Joe Brolly has given a typically blunt assessment of Jim Gavin’s ill-fated presidential campaign, describing it as “all wrong” and arguing that the former Dublin boss was totally unprepared for the political spotlight outside the GAA world.

Gavin dramatically withdrew from the Irish presidential race late Sunday after it emerged he owed a former tenant €3,300 from a 16-year-old debt. For a man who’d spent years cultivating a near–squeaky-clean image, the revelation was a hammer blow.

Brolly was one of many high-profile GAA personalities to to endorse Gavin's candidacy. Writing in the Sunday Independent, Brolly described Gavin as a man of “integrity and courage”.

“He bears the permanent expression of a man who knows something that no one else does. Something very important. Something life-changing.”

Following Gavin’s withdrawal from the presidential race Brolly said Gavin’s “pristine reputation” actually worked against him once the controversy broke.

“He’s never been exposed to the outside world,” Brolly told the Free State podcast. “He’s in the GAA bubble, and you’re protected in that bubble. If there was anything there to taint this pristine reputation, it was going to be an explosion, even if it was relatively small.”

Brolly wondered why Gavin's work with organ donation or motor neurone disease or in Dublin inner-city hadn't been celebrated by his campaign. The Derry man suggested Gavin’s team underestimated just how ruthless a presidential campaign can be.

“If you sat down with Jim one-on-one, you’d think this guy is 100 percent. You would think there’s very little vetting to be done because what skeletons would be in that closet? You would think this guy is utterly reliable.”

Brolly revealed he spoke to Gavin last week before the tenant story broke and that Gavin acknowledged that his campaign was struggling.

“He’s not stupid. At that stage it was going downhill rapidly.”

Brolly, who had actually backed Gavin’s run early on, didn’t hold back on the campaign’s missteps. He was particularly critical of Gavin’s cautious response to questions on the Middle East.

Gavin had said it was “unconscionable that the bombing is still taking place” but added that he believed “military objectives have probably been reached” comments that sparked backlash.

Brolly’s verdict was cutting:

“That was deaf. It’s not for him. It became very clear very quickly. The Irish Presidential campaign is exactly like a nasty Rose of Tralee. All of that sounded terribly false coming from Jim. It all sounded terribly contrived.”

He also argued Gavin should have been “far stronger on Gaza than even Catherine Connolly”, saying the presidency is supposed to be the “moral compass of the nation” and that Gavin hadn’t reflected public feeling.

Despite the criticism, Brolly was at pains to say his remarks came from a place of respect. Gavin had been due to appear on the podcast this week but understandably pulled out after ending his campaign.

“I’m very fond of him and I have been speaking to him, and I have said that I hope everything is okay,” Brolly said. “Jim’s a guy who’s used to hard targets. Here is a task that needs to be accomplished, and here is how we go about this.”

Brolly clearly believes Gavin’s foray into politics was doomed by a mix of poor strategy, unforgiving timing, and a campaign style that just didn’t suit him. For a man so used to controlling the playbook, this was one game he couldn’t bend to his will.