Can stellar political career of Mairead McGuinness rise to the Irish Presidency?
Former MEP and EU commissioner is Fine Gael's candidate-in-waiting
It’s just over 20 years since Mairead McGuinness stepped onto the national political scene, as a candidate in the European Parliament elections for the then Ireland East constituency.
In 2004, she took leave of absence from her role as a presenter on RTE’s agricultural magazine programme, ‘Ear to the Ground’, to run in the European elections for Fine Gael, on a ticket that included sitting MEP, the formidable Avril Doyle from Wexford.
Interestingly, given the current time lapse between her emergence as the sole nominee for Fine Gael, and party ratification in September, she was selected for the European Elections in March of 2004, but the FG campaign wasn’t launched until June. (The late Lord Henry Mount Charles had also been nominated, but withdrew his name from consideration).
That launch saw reports of an alleged split between herself and Doyle, but the much-hyped so-called row worked to both of their advantages, as both were elected.
It also saw a period of pressing the flesh for McGuinness, a tactic already being repeated this year as she travels the country to local agri-shows, festivals and events. This time with the added visibility of social media.
McGuinness topped the poll in that election count at Pudden Hill Equestrian Centre near Garristown, 954 votes over the quota of 113,295, with Doyle and Fianna Fáil’s Liam Hyland following on the seventh count. Navan’s Jim Fitzsimons was retiring from Parliament in that election and another Navan man, trade union figure, Peter Cassells, ran for Labour. There was annoyance at an Irish Independent headline describing the ‘cat fight ‘ between McGuinness and Doyle, the new MEP saying it was disrespectful to both women. The Ardee native Drumconrath resident celebrated her 45th birthday with a new direction in her life, a European parliamentarian.
With her communications and media profile, she had no problem carving out a high profile as an MEP, true to her word to try bring home the significance of the chambers in Brussels and Strasbourg to everyday life in Ireland. Her background in agriculture was of considerable benefit as debates on the Common Agricultural Policy and nitrates directives dominated the sessions.
After completing her Leaving Certificate in Ardee Community School at the age of 17, she went to University College, Dublin, to study agricultural science. Her degree had a communications element, and the farmer’s daughter always had an interest in journalism.
At the end of 1980, she saw an advertisement for radio producers in RTE and applied. She was taken on and began work not on radio, but on the TV agri-series, ‘Landmark’, with Joe Murray. From there, she went on to work as a researcher on ‘The Late Late show’ and other programmes. In the mid-1980s, she left RTE to join the Irish Farmers Jorrnal, and with the launch of local radio, began to present the LMFM Farm Show. ‘Ear to the Ground’ began on RTE in 1993, and she took over as Farming Independent editor in 1997. She will hardly regard hosting the reality show, ‘Celebrity Farm’ on RTE as the highlight of her career.
McGuinness was made chairperson of a consumer liaison panel set up by the Department of Agriculture and Food while still working in media, so was well versed in such matters when selected to run in that 2004 election. And of course, she is married to a Drumconrath farmer, Tom Duff.
The 2009 Euro elections saw her top the poll once again, exceeding the quota of 107,313 with a surplus of 3,053 votes. An unusual opponent this time around was Ardee farmer, Raymond O’Malley, an IFA figure running for Libertas, who attracted 18,557 first preferences.
During this term, she was elected to the position of a first vice president of the Parliament as her star continued to rise. By 2014, realignments of constituencies saw Ireland East become Midlands North West with an extra seat, with Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan topping the poll, followed by McGuinness on the third count. She was re-elected one of the 14 vice presidents in 2017, and first vice-president, in a period that nobody could have foreseen – the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.
While Brexit was the undoing of many, it was the making of McGuinness. She was in constant demand on British news channels as the Irish border situation and the Northern Ireland Protocol dominated the news agenda for months, causing huge fall out in Westminster and Stormont. Her concise clarity on the issues involved saw her explain the complicated situation to viewers of Channel 4, BBC and Sky News.
Another international crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic, was also to benefit McGuinness. When Phil Hogan had to step down as EU Commissioner after being accused of breaking lockdown rules, she was perfectly positioned to succeed him, particularly as EU Commission President, Ursula von dr Leyen, was eager to have a female nominee. Taoiseach Michael Martin put forward her name alongside Andrew Dowell, an economist, and in October 2020 she was appointed to the portfolio of financial services, financial stability and the Capital Markets Union, which she held until her term ended last November.
Eyebrows were raised when she did the warm-up speech for then taoiseach, Simon Harris, at a Fine Gael Ard Fheis, and her campaigning for Fine Gael candidates in the European elections, as EU commissioners had traditionally kept out of domestic politics following their appointments.
In 2007, she ran unsuccessfully in the General Election in her native Louth constituency, and in 2001, sought the Fine Gael nomination for the Presidential election, but lost to Gay Mitchell, which may have been a blessing in disguise.
Following Sean Kelly MEP’s withdrawal from the Fine Gael nomination process, she was the only candidate. An Irish Times story of the previous week about expenses claimed during her time as an MEP doesn’t seem to have gained much traction, but the official campaigning will not begin until she is officially ratified by the party in September.