Heather HumphreysWho is she?<\/p>\n
She retired in November 2024 after 13 years in the D\u00e1il, 10 of which she spent as a senior minister. Born in 1963, she lives in Newbliss, Co Monaghan, and was a bank official and credit union manager before becoming a TD. She is a Presbyterian. <\/p>\n
Humphreys had an unsteady start as the new minister for arts in 2014 after being catapulted into the role from the backbenches by then-taoiseach Enda Kenny. <\/p>\n
Her political naivety showed in her poor handling of a controversy over the party\u2019s backing of a Donegal businessman and Fine Gael activist in a byelection to fill a vacancy in Seanad \u00c9ireann. Despite having no experience in the area, John McNulty was appointed to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art so he could show he was a qualified person for the Seanad\u2019s cultural panel. <\/p>\n
It was a ready-up, and Humphreys, as arts minister, had to deal with the flak. She floundered in the early interviews. <\/p>\n
She learned a lesson from that and never repeated the mistake, being careful and prepared in all subsequent public interviews. <\/p>\n
Over time, Humphreys became an indispensable ally to three taoisigh: Kenny, Leo Varadkar and Simon Harris. Her ministries were in areas where she had a strong suit. She was minister for enterprise during Brexit and had to work to ensure the North-South hard border did not re-emerge. She was minister for social protection during Covid. Her other brief in rural and community affairs saw her visit virtually every community in the country.<\/p>\n
Strengths<\/p>\n
Humphreys is one of the few Fine Gael politicians who is popular across party lines. Her time in the rural affairs brief has made her a familiar figure in virtually every hamlet in the State. That popularity is reflected in the fact that three Independent Ministers \u2013 all from the Fianna F\u00e1il gene pool \u2013 have backed her. They are Michael Healy-Rae, Se\u00e1n Canney and Noel Grealish. <\/p>\n
Fine Gael candidates have not traditionally had a broad appeal, but there is hope that Humphreys, like Mair\u00e9ad McGuinness, can change that. That she is a border politician and member of a minority religion would be a boon for North-South relations. From a republican perspective, she was the minister who oversaw the successful Decade of Centenaries, including the commemoration of the 1916 Rising. <\/p>\n
Potential weaknesses<\/p>\n
Opposition parties have zeroed in on her role in Enda Kenny\u2019s \u201causterity\u201d government and her policies when minister for social welfare that affected people with disabilities. She told two reporters from the Ditch to f*** off outside her constituency office. That is similar to Michael D Higgins using an expletive during a radio row with a right-wing American commentator, when he was still a TD. It\u2019s not something that will affect her chances.<\/p>\n
She would be seen by others as an old-school, establishment and veteran Fine Gael grandee even though she is 10 years younger than Se\u00e1n Kelly, and six years younger than Catherine Connolly. <\/p>\n
Having had an antagonistic political relationship with Sinn F\u00e9in during her D\u00e1il career, Humphreys would need to convince its supporters she would represent them while not sharing their views. <\/p>\n
She is associated with rural Ireland and may struggle to attract non-Fine Gael votes in Dublin. Her Irish language skills are poor. <\/p>\n
Possible political banana skin? <\/p>\n
No particular skeletons in the cupboard. She is seen as a \u201csafe pair of hands\u201d and is unlikely to take risks or push boundaries in the same way Higgins has done. Some voters may look for more \u201cvision\u201d for the presidency and find her to be too conventional a candidate. <\/p>\n
Se\u00e1n KellyWho is he?<\/p>\n
Se\u00e1n Kelly is now 73 but the Kerryman is still an energetic presence in Irish politics. A former schoolteacher in St Brendan\u2019s Killarney, he came to national prominence as a GAA administrator, first in Kerry and then nationally before making the transition into politics. <\/p>\n
He has been involved in GAA administration since his 20s, first in Kerry, then in Munster. He was elected president of the GAA in 2003, the first person from Kerry to hold the office. <\/p>\n
His greatest achievement during his term was overseeing the change to Rule 42, which prohibited the playing of non-Gaelic games in GAA stadiums. It paved the way for rugby internationals and soccer internationals to be played in Croke Park from 2007. <\/p>\n