Irish Presidential Election 2025

[dahamsta]

Whats the back story to this? Has the tenant being sitting in the wings waiting for the day that Gavin ran for public office to bring this out? It is all a bit weird

I've been a tenant, and if I had the chance to mess up one of the two landlords that messed me up, I'd take great pleasure in it. One of these days....

And the tenant had plenty of other chances in the past 16 years to pursue a claim.

I'm afraid I've no idea where I read it, but apparently they did make an effort. I lost part or all of my deposit to two landlords and they had all the power then, that's why the RTB exists.

But ultimately yes, he dodged out of it before the real stuff came out, no bout a doubt it. I mean, this is Fianna Fail we're talking about.

[tetsujin1979]

The tenant's then-partner posted on(and later deleted from) twitter that she had tried to sell the story to a paper when he was Dublin manager, but it was spiked

[CraftyToePoke]

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2025...donald-tenant/


Deputy Editor of the Sunday World Niall Donald has confirmed that he was the former tenant owed money by former presidential candidate for Fianna Fáil Jim Gavin.

His confirmation follows a report in the Irish Independent that a tenant in a property Mr Gavin owned 16 years ago did not receive a refund they had sought after an overpayment of rent amounting to €3,300.

Mr Gavin withdrew from the contest last Sunday.

Speaking on the Crime World podcast with host Nicola Tallant, he said that "loads of people" knew about his history with Mr Gavin.

By the time the Presidential Election came about, he said every person who knew him had heard the story.

While relaying it in the office, which is shared with the Independent and Sunday Independent members of the political staff asked for more detail.

"Every time Dublin won an All-Ireland or whatever, people would say, "Oh, there's your mate Jim Gavin."

While he admitted he could have written a story during the height of Mr Gavin's career as Dublin Manager, he said he had no desire to do so, as it had nothing to do with being a landlord or running the country.

"If you've ever been in those circumstances where you know, you feel that you've been ripped off, like it gives you this feeling of being powerless, and you know, I was really struggling financially. That's the truth of it."

He recently learned that the apartment he rented was given back to the bank.

He said he was frustrated when a statement was issued that Mr Gavin had no recollection of the incident.

"Like all through those years, like I had a recollection of it and I had a bad feeling about it."

However, he said learning about Mr Gavin's financial difficulties added context, adding that Mr Gavin likely did not have the money to pay him back at the time.

He said he was perplexed as to why he was not contacted a few week's ago to have the matter resolved.

Mr Donald said he called Fianna Fáil on Saturday and said he was unhappy that they had said Mr Gavin could not remember the matter.

He said he did not put it in the Sunday World as he felt it was a conflict of interest.

However, after Mr Gavin partially acknowledged the matter, he said he was amazed to see him take part in Sunday's debate on RTÉ's The Week in Politics.

"I can't understand why they didn't make the decision at that point, one way or another.

"I felt sorry for him on Sunday. I mean, I'm not going to overdo it, but I felt sorry for him because he's under pressure. People make mistakes."

Mr Donald said he moved out of home and rented an apartment in Blackhall Square, in Smithfield, with a friend.

He said they met their landlord, who was "very nice, polite, kind of quiet and shy", and agreed to rent the property.

He added that his friend recognised that the landlord was Mr Gavin, an ex-Dublin footballer.

He added it was a long time ago, and he had "sympathy with Jim Gavin" as he himself did not have the exact dates, but estimated it was around 2007.

By the time the lease was being renewed, Mr Gavin wanted to put up the price, which Mr Donald said he did not have an issue with.

Mr Donald's friend eventually moved out, and Mr Donald's partner at the time moved in.

Rental payments were being conducted via a standing order, and whatever way they were changed, Mr Donald said he ended up with two standing orders.

So, he had two sums of money coming out of his account.

He believed rent went up slightly a second time, adding he had very few dealings with Mr Gavin as a landlord.

Mr Donald said he stayed at the residence for about two-and-a-half years and moved out at the beginning of May 2009, at which point he cancelled the standing orders for rent.

"I must have cancelled one of the standing orders, and I failed to cancel the other one. So that money was coming out of an account that I didn't check. Now, a normal person probably would check it.

"People can say my stupidity has played a role in it, and they would be 100% right."

Overall, he said the extra money was for €550, including the rental increase and came out of the account from May until November.

Those six months amounted to €3,300.

"That was the full extent of my savings. Let's put it that way. I mean, I didn't have anything else."

Once he realised what had happened, he said he immediately contacted Mr Gavin.

He contacted Mr Gavin, who said he’d look into the matter.

"I'm really sorry for the mistake, but can I have my money back? Basically."

After hearing nothing back, he attempted to contact Mr Gavin again to no avail.

"You expect him to get back to you or whatever. And it didn't happen. And then I phoned him a couple of times, didn't get back, send him emails, send him texts, all that sort of stuff.

"He just stopped answering."

He added, this went on for weeks, going into months.

Mr Donald said he constructed a detailed email to Mr Gavin, which he still has.

He went to the PRTB, where all landlords were supposed to have registered.

Part of that registration, he explained, involved mediation if you had a dispute with your landlord.

"But ultimately I found out it wasn't uh he wasn't registered there."

After about three months of pursuing Mr Gavin, he said they sought advice from a solicitor.

However, Mr Donald did not have Mr Gavin's home address and therefore could not send a letter or go to the property.

During the podcast, Mr Donald read out a portion of the solicitor's letter he sent to Mr Gavin.

"It says, you know, we're instructed, our client now insists and demands immediate and full payment of this entire sum...

"Please note, if the payment of the above mentioned amount is not made within 14 days of this letter, we are instructed to issue proceedings."

He did have his work address, the address of the apartment he had rented, as well as Mr Gavin's parents' address.

He went to Mr Gavin's parents' house and gave them the letter, saying he was a former tenant who wanted to make contact with them.

"And they were really, really nice. They said asked me to step in. They said, Do you want a cup of tea or anything?" And said, "Is there any problem?" I said, "There's no problem. Uh no issue at all. And I won't stay for a cup of tea. Thank you very much. I just want to make sure he gets this letter."

Later that night, Mr Gavin phoned him, and was "irate" that he had called to his parents' house.

"Which I can actually understand. So I wouldn't actually hold that against him at all."

Eventually, he said Mr Gavin calmed down and accepted he owed him the money.

He said he was transferring the sum and it would be in his account shortly.

"And the money just never arrived."

He added that the letter was sent in late February 2010.

Mr Donald added that he had no money at this point in his life.

He made other attempts to contact Mr Gavin, but nothing happened.

Ultimately, he did not take proceedings.

He confirmed that he has still not been paid back the money.

"I haven't heard anything."

However, he said he would not be pursuing the matter.

"Does the punishment fit the crime? Probably not. I kind of feel sorry for him that he wasn't handled better."

But added, perhaps Fianna Fáil did not have all the information either.

[Nesta99]

Ive had a landlord trawl through an apartment and make 'damaged' list to the exact amount of a deposit, wearing on a ropey old carpet, a front door that was starting to catch at the bottom - tried to claim that it must have been kicked in etc. I was furious , had no recourse, and it still annoys me. I am now a landlord, registered, have had property inspected by Dundalk Town Council with no issues and deposits are in their own account so I wont feel like Im dipping in to my own money if tenants move on and there isnt any issue. I know exactly what the situation has been for every tenant Ive had off the top of my head, bar maybe exact dates and even then I could look things up. I definitely would know if I had an extra €3300 in rent. I know a good lot of landlords get around the RPZ caps by getting cash in hand and if they dont get that then they create some spurious threat for getting rid of tenants. So I tend to think that if 3k is inappropriately witheld the there is good chance there could be more disgruntled people about. I accidently thransferred €200 to Thomann due to a mislabled payee, letters from bank, emails, phonecalls etc and 3 years later Im still furious that they blanked me, while it was my error they were ars€holes about it. I would tell that story if it were ever relevent. In fact foot.ie members, boycott them - that'll show them!!

Sooo i'm quite enjoying the karma aspect of Gavin's aborted campaign. He will have to justify why he witheld info from the due process of being selected, its highly doubtful he could even stand for local or general elections now either. I seriously dislike scumbaggery in the rebtal sector as I pay my way for tenants to live in an appropriate and safe property, its not as if rent is buttons. FF have egg on the face and showed significnt naivety albeit I doubt if they asked the questions that they got an honest answer though all said if its an isolated incident is it a campaign buster? So why quit. Many questioned why Bertie was overlooked, imagine the what scrutiny could turn up there!! Hanafin might have been the better option for FF.

The abuse that Gavin and his family have recieved is pretty awful, preceeded this revelation, and a sad reflection on significant aspects of society. Dislike a person or party's politics but leave family and threats out of it.

Im quite surprised at opinion polls having Connolly ahead tbh. Yesterdays budget (which I generally thought was prudent if far from perfect) could influence things imo, a protest vote against a govt. candidate type of thing. Loss of Gavin's transfers could make it tough for Humphreys. I have also had a few conversations with people stating that they are going to spoil their vote, write Steen on the ballot or something, so advancing the chances of a left candidate because there isnt a more right wing candidate.....

[pineapple stu]

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2025...donald-tenant/

That's a really good piece in fairness. Covers off a lot of questions - and actually acknowledges that in the greater scheme of things, it's fairly minor, and also notes that he's to blame himself for not checking his bank account. (I've had no money before and I can tell you I wouldn't have missed a second bank account with €550 a month coming out of it!)

I'd say it's easy enough to be magnanimous when you've completely and utterly won your case, but still - credit to yer man for the way he's put himself across in that article. Biggest concern in it is that the RTB was completely useless.

[Nesta99]

Easy said than done but for the RTB to be properly useful renters need to insist on it as a requirement of the lease. Of course currently make such a request and a landlord will just move on to someone else. As ever enforcement of regs leaves a lot to be desired in Ireland.

[CraftyToePoke]

and actually acknowledges that in the greater scheme of things, it's fairly minor

Well its minor until you run for an office which may require being the moral voice of a nation as we have seen Higgins do so eloquently and on point re Gaza of late.

I no longer accept Gavin forgot this, or it got lost in the passage of time. You don't forget having a scrap down the phone with someone over owed money who had turned up at your parents house because you'd hidden so well from them. You just dont.
Suddenly he rang the guy after God knows how long ignoring him trying to contact.

Neither should you remain in a contest for such an office when, upon being faced with this dilemma ( I accept they could both have been skint, a good chunk of the country was skint around that time after all ) you chose, as Gavin did to effectively say, get it offa me so little man, I'm a big cheese & you aren't.

Ring him, tell him you're skint but make an arrangement, an offer, to pay it back over time weekly or monthly with however much you can afford and stick to your word. Treat him as fellow human, an equal, even though he rented from you. It betrays a mindset to me that is unsuitable for the office.

I notice nothing so far from Gavin to counter the above version.
And we still don't know if there are others
And he still, at the time of the above had not paid.

So its minor until it isn't, as it were, and in the circumstances which arose it was sufficiently minor to derail FFs entire Aras strategy & leave their leader grovelling to the party & rightly so, on both.

[Nesta99]

We're a bit contrary on things like this, hate the brown envelope climate, disillusioned and betrayed by politics, bemoan the lack of choice and or quality in electoral candidates and then can feel a bit sorry for a candidate messing like the above. Him not remembering the issue etc. Missed it out in due diligence. A party seriously at odds with the leadership over it all. But yet its a minor infraction that shouldnt define a career or campaign? I agree that I think it betrays a mindset as CTP says. But overall we should maintain expectation of high standards and throughout the political spectrum, including calling out vested inerests in policy making and questioning apparent inaction on some significant social issues. This could well just tip the balance of opinion toward some reform in the selection process at political party level and even nationally. Whether ultimately minor in origin, its a major embaressment to the process imo. Maybe not as embaressing as it would if someone with a convicion recorded against them got on the ballot!

[CraftyToePoke]

is could well just tip the balance of opinion toward some reform in the selection process at political party level and even nationally.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2025/1008/15...fail-politics/

He said he was open to any suggestions on how the presidential selection process can be changed ( Micheal Martin )

........

Quite a U turn from a guy who didn't even seek the opinion of some TDs. Pat Gallagher a TD of 38 years wasn't even asked. It may bring change, but it just reeks of a preemptive self preservation strike by MM doesn't it.

.............................

Easy said than done but for the RTB to be properly useful renters need to insist on it as a requirement of the lease. Of course currently make such a request and a landlord will just move on to someone else. As ever enforcement of regs leaves a lot to be desired in Ireland.

So its compulsory or not for people letting out places ?
I haven't lived in Ireland since 1998 so I wouldn't know. Very surprised if its not, less surprised if it is but isn't enforced, so many TDs are also landlords after all, aren't they ?

[Nesta99]

It is a requirement! They wanted to go as far as deposits being put in ESCRO type accounts and stuff. But many dont register and prospective tenants are not in a position to demand it. There's no reason not to register for 90 quid or something. For me it just covers a number of bases like if a tenant eventually seeks HAP and retrospective registering has to happen. Councils do checks in general but they are hitting low hanging fruit, decent properties they know are registered, they probably dont want to audit a place and end up taking it out of circulation and put residents in to a hotel emegency accomadation, I was happy to produce RECI and gas maintenance certs etc but how many can or would go to he expense until a number of peole die from CO poisoning or the like. T=Claimed tax credits by landlords should be a first flag to check that they are fulfilling obligations.

[pineapple stu]

I don't see why it has to be a retirement tbh. You don't get to opt in to laws of the State. If there's a lease with your name on it, that should be a de facto registration

[John83]

There must be any number of ways to deal with it, from allowing the tenant to register the lease to crafting tax law around rental income so that a landlord would be daft not to register it. It is, like so many issues here, apparently just not a priority.

I'm glad it nixed his campaign. I don't want to see politics here reach the place they're in across the Atlantic where this would have been met with denial, deflection, and counterattack, and it'd have worked.

[Nesta99]

Good points! Hadnt thought through such potential methods. It is the cash in hand kind of rentals that the main issues are though. I have one relative who rents 'apartment rooms i what is just a seperated off part of their own home and they are pretty ruthless, any dissent on issues and notice is given, its all cash, and there is such a shortage of options to move on to that the tenants mostly back down. Mention of RTB and its out you go and prove that this is a rental. One day bluff will be called and there'll be a council knock on the door as its a planning breach But councils are truning a blind eye as this 'black' rental market is helping alleviate an even more acute crisis. I am even complicit by not making a quiet tip off to LCC, but we all do a bit of truning a blind eye to a lot of small things which goes back to the Jim Gavin stuff of seeing the money and issue he had as 'minor'. I think we have a certain tolerance for some questionable behaviour. How many people would call police if seeing an associate get in to a car witha few pints on board, or ignore welfare umm exaggerate claims, or underdeclaration of taxes, declare nixers etc.

[Eminence Grise]

So, eh, that was a bit of a damp squib in the end, candidate-wise at any rate.

The big story, surely, has to be the spoiled votes after some very effective propaganda by voices on the right. You only need the appearance of a grievance to create mistrust. Given almost 13% of the poll were spoiled votes suggests it wasn’t just Connolly who won big.

Martin’s ‘we’ll have to look at the selection process’ is code for ‘let’s hope this goes away before 2032’ but it legitimises the narrative that the candidate selection process is undemocratic. It wasn’t from 1937-2018, and I’d argue that it worked exactly as it should have this time.

The council route is a free for all: any head-the-ball can book a slot, rock up and give a speech. Unless you’re, let’s say, a known rapist, the exclusion bar is pretty low. That only three out of 31 councils endorsed a candidate from the rogue's gallery that pitched up (and were scathing about some) says this screening works: Kerry and Tipp (Gareth Sheridan, presentable, but a political lightweight and unknown quantum) and Waterford (Kieran McCarthy, ex-Lord Mayor of Cork). Sheridan’s campaigning wasn’t bad. He started early, had a stolid team, and nearly pulled it off. Unlike Maria Steen who dashed in late and, despite her network and Aontu working the backrooms, couldn’t get 20 Oireachtas endorsements out of about 41 available votes, not counting a small number of disaffected party members who might have crossed the line to support her.

Do we need to spend €10-15m on a referendum to change the rules when the process works? No. Instead, here’s free advice to anyone thinking of running in 2032: start in 2029.

Meantime, what to do about those spoiled votes? And what are the expectations for a Connolly presidency?

[culloty82]

You already see an element of the Government focusing more on the spoiled votes than on Connolly's victory with the Tánaiste's comments last night on immigration numbers - solely referring to asylum applications, even though the number of student visas was three times that figure last year:

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates...025-05-20/688/

For the left, the focus should be on grassroots public meetings within communities, to address issues relating to services, infrastructure, etc, in order to deal with general frustration before a Reform-style party emerges here. As for Connolly's election, the key takeaway is that greater coordination between the parties involved in the campaign could yield greater seat returns in 2029, but parking egos sufficiently to decide the optimal number of candidates in each constituency would be the biggest challenge.

[Neish]

All this talk of spoiled votes, it barely scrapped 6% of eligible voters. If that is you best result ever and is meant to send a message its a fairly weak message and effort. To me is proves nothing but how easy social media make it to fool gullible people

[sbgawa]

My expectations for Connolly are she will be the same left wing posturing virtue signaling loo la as Micky D.
Unlike Micky D though her work for the banks chucking people out of their homes puts her in the smoked Salmon socialists rather than the true believers like Micky D...who at least was a GLITW fan.

The President is supposed to represent all of the people by keeping his mouth shut (or her mouth) Micky D has turned it into a political position by pushing his own agendas.
Its disapointing and makes me probably more in favour of lowering the bar for entry to the election. Id rather a populist idiot we could all laugh at then a President that represents one half of the country whichever half that is.
Likely we onwt have an election for 14 years anyway as the new Pres will probably go again for a handy well paying number just like Micky D did.
Once they get their noses in the trough its hard to pull back

[Eminence Grise]

For the left, the focus should be on grassroots public meetings within communities, to address issues relating to services, infrastructure, etc, in order to deal with general frustration before a Reform-style party emerges here. As for Connolly's election, the key takeaway is that greater coordination between the parties involved in the campaign could yield greater seat returns in 2029, but parking egos sufficiently to decide the optimal number of candidates in each constituency would be the biggest challenge.

Not just for the left. Now, expecting FF or FG to lose the next election has been a national dream since, well, forever, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see one or both in the next government. Their impulse to hold power is as strong as the left’s to pick internal fights that only matter to themselves. But they also need boots on the ground for the same reasons you mention. And they need to start delivering benefits people can feel like a housing policy that works, action on high supermarket and utility costs and so on. If people are content and financially OK, there’s less breeding ground for right-wing malcontent.

All this talk of spoiled votes, it barely scrapped 6% of eligible voters. If that is you best result ever and is meant to send a message its a fairly weak message and effort. To me is proves nothing but how easy social media make it to fool gullible people

Well, yes and no. 6% of the total electorate when a 60% turnout is considered good, but 13% of the 46% who were motivated to go to the ballot box, which is six times higher than the norm, is bad. Those spoiled votes achieved no electoral purpose, and in a campaign as lacklustre as this, might have just stayed at home. But for some reason, they were motivated to go the polling station and demonstrate that they were actively spoiling their ballot, not just leaving it blank. If you consider that a good proportion of Gavin’s 7% was also a form of deliberate spoil, but less crudely effected than writing Maria Steen’s name, then you’re losing one in five of those who turned out, or about one-tenth of the total electorate, which means that about 65% of the electorate didn’t engage in a democratically meaningful way. What I take from that is that this was an exercise in suppressing the vote, and enough gullible people fell for it to work. Next vote (assuming the government stays the distance it will be the always hard to get excited about locals and Europeans in 2029) expect it to be more refined.

My expectations for Connolly are she will be the same left wing posturing virtue signaling loo la as Micky D.
Unlike Micky D though her work for the banks chucking people out of their homes puts her in the smoked Salmon socialists rather than the true believers like Micky D...who at least was a GLITW fan.

The President is supposed to represent all of the people by keeping his mouth shut (or her mouth) Micky D has turned it into a political position by pushing his own agendas.
Its disapointing and makes me probably more in favour of lowering the bar for entry to the election. Id rather a populist idiot we could all laugh at then a President that represents one half of the country whichever half that is.
Likely we onwt have an election for 14 years anyway as the new Pres will probably go again for a handy well paying number just like Micky D did.
Once they get their noses in the trough its hard to pull back

So, not a fan then, sbgawa? I think ‘virtue signaling loo la’ was the clue.

Look, you don’t like her: fine. You’re entitled to that opinion, though, sorry to be blunt, it’s fatuous. I question her judgement, and hope she has the sense to accept good advice in the role – you know: like girl guides, good; Éirigí gunslingers, not good. I would have greater issue with her career at the bar if she had ever refused to take on a client because that would bring her honesty and integrity into question. (By the way, does anyone happen to know which banks she represented, or how often?)

But saying you'd rather a populist idiot you could laugh at disturbs me. Because too many people are saying it, or variations of it, and that's devaluing politics. A populist idiot wouldn't represent me, or most of the people I know. Make me king for a day and I'd raise the bar: none of the three on the ballot were presidential material. But I'd rather see Connolly grow into the role and have a good term in office, than wish for a Waldo Moment.

As for presidents pushing the limits of their powers, the constitution isn't written on tablets of stone. It's a living document that shifts with generational changes in social and cultural mores. I suggest we're not as delicate as some make us out to be, and we'd survive with a modest bout of pearl-clutching if a president says something controversial or annoys the government. I'd rather that than Hillery's legacy - lowest golf handicap of any European head of state. (I'm being mean: a reluctant office holder, and he had to be cajoled into both terms - he had legitimate hopes of succeeding Lynch as Taoiseach – is maybe the right starting point for finding the best candidate.)

[John83]

You already see an element of the Government focusing more on the spoiled votes than on Connolly's victory with the Tánaiste's comments last night on immigration numbers - solely referring to asylum applications, even though the number of student visas was three times that figure last year:

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates...025-05-20/688/

For the left, the focus should be on grassroots public meetings within communities, to address issues relating to services, infrastructure, etc, in order to deal with general frustration before a Reform-style party emerges here. As for Connolly's election, the key takeaway is that greater coordination between the parties involved in the campaign could yield greater seat returns in 2029, but parking egos sufficiently to decide the optimal number of candidates in each constituency would be the biggest challenge.

I've never heard anyone take issue with the number of student visas before, but the reality is that non-EU fees massively subsidise the 3rd level sector, filling a hole created by the government response to the '08 crash and never patched. It's a strain on housing for sure, but it's mostly just an export business and pretty good for bringing money into the country. I don't know to what extent scam English schools for easy visas still operate, but obviously they're not the same thing.

[Eminence Grise]

Too true, John. I'd be out of a job if it wasn't for international students who pay almost double the fees of EU/EEA students. I think the figures in that link may just for HEIs - 60k is a little over one-fifth of the third-level student body. From experience, the visa rejections were particularly high from some African countries last year, and we never got to the bottom of why, whether it was one over-stretched embassy or a very inflexible assessment process. The language schools are more tightly regulated than they used to be, so there are fewer abuses of the system.