Jim Gavin officially asks Fianna Fáil to nominate him as the party’s candidate for president

FORMER GAA MANAGER Jim Gavin has sought the Fianna Fáil nomination for the presidential race, it’s been reported today.

The parliamentary party’s whip TD Paul McAuliffe confirmed the news on X.

“I would have no hesitation in nominating him to be a candidate to come Ireland’s first citizen. As people around the country get to know Jim, they will see how his humility, his dedication, and his own values make him the right person to represent all of us,” McAuliffe said.

In his letter to party members Gavin said that his campaign would focus on “representing Ireland’s views abroad, facilitating the use of the Áras for the people and promoting Ireland’s language, culture, education and enterprise to the wider world”.

Gavin is a former Dublin GAA manager and an ex-Air Corp Commandant. He is the current operations director for the Irish Aviation Authority.

He’s known for his quiet disposition, and is famous for his five-in-a-row All Ireland wins between 2015 and 2019. Today the Irish Independent reported that Taoiseach Michéal Martin is to give Gavin his full backing.

Gavin is up against MEP Billy Kelleher, who has expressed his intention to contest the Fianna Fáil candidacy. Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers has already announced that he will be backing Gavin to become the party’s candidate.

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Written by Emma Hickey and Eimer McAuley and posted on TheJournal.ie