Is an Ahern Return for Real?

๐€๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐งโ€™๐ฌ ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐…๐ข๐š๐ง๐ง๐š ๐…๐šฬ๐ข๐ฅ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฉ๐š๐ฏ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฐ๐š๐ฒ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ง ๐š๐ฌ ๐š ๐œ๐š๐ง๐๐ข๐๐š๐ญ๐ž ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ“ ๐๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐š๐ฅ ๐ž๐ฅ๐ž๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ

Eleven years after Bertie Ahern was forced to quit theย Fianna Fรกilย party over the findings of the Mahon Planning Tribunal, news filtered out today that heโ€™s back in the fold.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, Micheรกl Martin said: โ€˜As I said earlier, above and beyond everything he has made an outstanding contribution to peace in Northern Ireland and he continues to work on that agenda.โ€ฆI believe in the context of that achievement, I welcome his membership.โ€™

Speculation is rife that Ahern will seek the partyโ€™s nomination in the 2025 presidential election when Michael D Higgins retires from the role.

Fianna Fรกil TDs and senators, speaking to the Irish Examiner last September said they were keen for Ahern to return to the party and would gladly support him to be the partyโ€™s candidate for the รras.

In an interview in 2021 to mark his 70th birthday, Mr Ahern refused to rule in, or out, a presidential bid in 2025