Irish Presidential Controversies

David Norris has fallen victim to the ruthless
nature of Irish Presidential Elections

David Norris’ announcement that he would not proceed with his campaign to seek a Presidential nomination last week saw the Presidential election lose a potential charasmatic candidate. The achievements of Norris in the field of human rights and work for minorities is to be admired, however with the surfacing of the latest controversy in writing his letter defending his former partner was an act which was indefensible and his withdrawal at this stage seemed an inevitability. With the loss of Norris the Presidential campaign has lost a lot of its colour, but hopes still main that late comers may yet join the race for the Áras.

Rumours surfacing in recent days hint that Eurovision winner, Dana Rosemary Scallon will have another attempt at securing the post after her attempt in the previous campaign in 1997 and now Gay Byrne appears to be considering his options. Additionally Independent TD Finian McGrath has been hinting at a least one high profile candidate joining the race without any party ties, relying o support on Independent TDs for nomination. He first hinted at this during his appearance on Tonight with Vincent Browne hosted by Sam Smyth on Tuesday of last week and on RTÉ radio on Thursday. Hopefully this will materialise, as one feels that in David Norris’ absence the candidate line-up could do with an injection of life. Additionally Cork MEP Brian Crowley is seeking the candidature for Fianna Fáil should the party decide it is willing to risk another potential embarrassment at the polls, but Crowley may also face competition from Eamon Ó Cuiv for the position and Mary Hannafin. The possibility of Sinn Féin running a candidate also means interesting times may well lie ahead in the Presidential election.

However any potential candidates should bear in mind that Presidential campaigns are not the faint-hearted, already illustrated in 2011’s race. Dirty tricks in Presidential elections remain part of the course seen in previous campaigns but securing the post also does not shelter the incumbent President from negative media coverage or embroilment in scandal. This post will now look at some of the controversies associated with the first citizen of the state in recent history.

Cearbhaill Ó Dálaigh 1976

Cearbhaill Ó Dálaigh at his home in Co. Wicklow following
his resignation as President in October 1976

Cearbhaill Ó Dálaigh took office in 1974 following the sudden death of Erskine Childers. Throughout his time as President, relations were uneasy with Liam Cosgrave’s Fine Gael/Labour coalition and matters came to a head in October 1976. With the persistent violence dominating Northern Ireland and the killing of British Ambassador Christopher Ewart-Biggs in an IRA landmine explosion the provious July, the Government sought to introduce the Emergency Powers Bill allowing for the detention of suspects without charge for seven days. This came also amid allegations of a ‘heavy gang’ operating in interrogations within the Gardaí.

Amid this climate Ó Dálaigh sought to refer the bill to the Supreme Court as he was perfectly entitled after taking the advice of the Council of the State. The Supreme Court approved of the Bill and this was followed by remarks from Minister for Defence, Patrick Donegan during an address at Columb Barracks in Mullingar, in which he branded the President as ‘a thundering disgrace.’ Fianna Fáil immediately demanded Donegan’s dismissal however Donegan merely issued an apology and following the defeat of Fianna Fáil’s resignation motion in the Dáil, Ó Dálaigh unsatisfied with the apology and the Taoiseach half-hearted response announced his resignation on the day following the Dáil vote. Ó Dálaigh was reported in the Irish Times as stating he was resigning ‘to assert publicly his integrity and independence and to protect the dignity and independence of the Presidency as an institution.’ He also noted ‘the words “thundering disgrace” ... had been followed by the sentence: “The fact is, the Army must stand behind the State.” Could this sentence be construed ... otherwise than as an insinuation that the resident did not stand behind the State?’

The whole affair did serious damage to the Coalition Governments reputation before the General Election which came in June of 197. However an incident of equally acrimony would also befall the man who would replace Ó Dálaigh as President.

Patrick Hillery 1979

Patrick Hillery

1979 saw the personal life of President Patrick Hillery became the issue of rumour and controversy. Rumours surrounding Hillery’s marriage surfaced for and intensified as the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland approached in September 1979. It was rumoured that Hillery had an affair with a Belgian woman during his time in Brussels as Ireland’s EEC Commissioner. Gossip followed, and rumours that the President would resign. However these were rumours that were only prominent in media and political circles and many of the public were not aware of the allegations. Hillery sought to clarify the matter by calling a meeting with the three editors of the biggest national newspapers, the Irish Times, Irish Independent and Irish Press and the head of news at RTÉ on October 3, 1979 and categorically stated that ‘there is absolutely no foundation whatever for such rumours. I am not resigning.’

Questions remain at how such baseless rumours emanated and many sources have since been suggested. T.P O’Mahony referred in his biography of Jack Lynch, to differing suggestions of where the scandal originated. One rumoured source was a KGB plot to discredit the Poe on his visit to Ireland. A further suggestion was a British Secret Service plot as part of their Dirty Tricks War in Northern Ireland. It was believed the rumours were orchestrated by MI5 or MI6, angry at poor Irish security arrangements surrounding the death of Lord Louis Mountbatten due to an IRA bomb in Co. Sligo the previous August and now they were attempting to embarrass the Irish Government during the Pope’s visit.

However a more plausible suggestion comes from within Irish political circles and is cited as the reason in Hillery’s 2008 biography. By late 1979 pressure was intensifying within Fianna Fáil on Jack Lynch to resign as Taoiseach. Suggestions are that Charles Haughey was at the source of the rumours as part of his leadership ambitions. The alleged plan was to force the resignation of Hillery as President, leaving the door open for Jack Lynch to take the position following his resignation. This would then pave the way for Haughey to become Taoiseach.Whatever the truth of the matter this incident certainly indicates that the office of Presidency was not beyond sabotage of those with a ruthless thirst for power.

Brian Lenihan with Fianna Fáil colleague Charles J. Haughey

Brian Lenihan 1990
The Presidential election serves as a further example of the unforgiving nature of these campaigns. Brian Lenihan entered the campaign as the early favourite as the Fianna Fáil candidate. However a controversy emerged during the campaign that would lead to Mary Robinson becoming Ireland’s first female President. Issues surfaced surrounding a phone call Lenihan had made following the defeat of Garret Fitzgerald’s Fine Gael/Labour coalition Government in the January 1982 in a Dáil budget vote.


Reports now resurfaced that Lenihan had made a phone call to President Patrick Hillery in an effort to persuade him to not dissolve the Dáil, Charles Haughey and Fianna Fáil could form a new government without the need for an election. It was an allegation Lenihan was pressurised on, which he categorically denied in several media appearances. However on October 24, the Irish Times lead with the headline ‘Lenihan did make call to President he now denies.’ The article confirmed this following the agreement of a UCD post-graduate student who had carried out a taped interview with Lenihan in May 1990 in which he admitted he had made such calls. Serious credibility issues now surrounded Lenihan and his campaign, as he now explained that ‘on mature recollection’ his belief his comments to the student were mistaken.


Following the tabling of a motion of no confidence in the 1990 Fianna Fáil/Progressive Democrat Government due to the issue, and threats from the PDs to pull out of government, Taoiseach Charles Haughey proceeded to dismiss Lenihan as Minister for Defence following his refusal to resign. Added to this public embarrassment, Fianna Fáil TD Pádraig Flynn’s derogatory comments about Mary Robinson hindered Lenihan’s cause who was however subsequently defeated narrowly. In Lenihan’s Dictionary of Irish Biography entry Lawrence William White comments that ‘Lenihan subsequently claimed that he had no memory of the interview with the student, at the time of which he was in a confused state of mind while under heavy medication for his liver condition and related medical complications.’