![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/000570d4-614.jpg\"\/)
\nSe\u00e1n Lemass argued against calling a new political party Fianna F\u00e1il for fear voters would not know what it meant<\/p>\n
One hundred years ago today, Se\u00e1n Lemass argued against calling a new political party Fianna F\u00e1il for fear voters would not know what it meant.<\/p>\n
In the end, \u00c9amon de Valera won out – and the party which has dominated Irish politics from boom to bust, Haughey to Cowen, free education to Galway tent – was born.<\/p>\n
Ironically, as delegates gather in Dublin for the party’s special centenary Ard Fheis, Fianna F\u00e1il faces searching questions over what it means and who might lead it into its 101st year.<\/p>\n
Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin last night received a standing ovation for his opening address – but could this be his last Ard Fheis as party leader?<\/p>\n
“Most people understand and accept this is Miche\u00e1l\u2019s last Ard Fheis. Because of the 100th anniversary it will be pretty celebratory. In fairness to him, his speech was good”, said one TD usually highly critical of the Taoiseach.<\/p>\n
After recent rebel threats to Mr Martin\u2019s leadership following the fuel protests and the Jim Gavin affair, a Shakespearean buff within the Fianna F\u00e1il parliamentary party noted how the party resembled the script of the bard\u2019s Romeo and Juliet, “this weekend the Montague and Capulet wings of the party will be united”.<\/p>\n
Despite the Taoiseach\u2019s insistence he will lead Fianna F\u00e1il into the next general election, there is a prevailing view that the leadership question will come to the boil after the EU Presidency at the very latest.<\/p>\n
“There is too much going on in the world right now to be changing leader. Look at Britain this week. They must leave Miche\u00e1l Martin there for the EU Presidency but after that – sin sc\u00e9al eile”, said former minister Mary Hanafin, who added Mr Martin\u2019s leadership should be reviewed come January.<\/p>\n
84-year-old Leonard Hurley from Cahersiveen has been a Fianna F\u00e1il member for 60 years – meeting every party leader bar Mr Lemass in that time.<\/p>\n
“Jack Lynch will always be my number one, but Miche\u00e1l Martin is a close second for me. He has the common touch,” said Mr Hurley, “I\u2019ve great time for him, but nobody lasts forever.”<\/p>\n
Galway Councillor Michael Regan has been an arch critic of Mr Martin – taking to the airwaves in recent months to brand Mr Martin “a dictator”.<\/p>\n
He is looking forward to attending the Ard Fheis.<\/p>\n
“I\u2019m a member the same as Miche\u00e1l Martin is so of course, I\u2019m going. I believe in Fianna F\u00e1il – that’s why I\u2019ll be there. I can see the cracks on the wall. Are we going to be here in another 100 years if Miche\u00e1l Martin remains as leader?”, said Mr Regan.<\/p>\n
“Fianna F\u00e1il has lost touch with the people”, he added.<\/p>\n
\nSe\u00e1n Lemass argued against calling a new political party Fianna F\u00e1il for fear voters would not know what it meant<\/p>\n
As they celebrate 100 years, the Soldiers of Destiny will also ponder who or what they represent as they look to the next electoral cycle.<\/p>\n
With 48 TDs, Fianna F\u00e1il is the largest party in the D\u00e1il again for the first time since its 2011 meltdown.<\/p>\n
The party has won the most seats in the last three local elections, and senior party apparatchiks point to gains in Dublin, especially as a sign the party has consolidated after the economic crash, and the 2011 election left it staring into the political abyss.<\/p>\n
“Fianna F\u00e1il has been written off many times over the last 100 years, but we\u2019re still here and resilient”, argued one leadership figure, who said the party benefited from having representatives deeply rooted in their communities, no matter the prevailing political wind of the day.<\/p>\n
However, Fianna F\u00e1il\u2019s vote in the last general election was its second lowest in history. And the party is now operating in a much more crowded space – where it is facing an ever-greater squeeze to articulate what it stands for.<\/p>\n
“Miche\u00e1l Martin was asked on Virgin Media on Monday about the ideology of Fianna F\u00e1il, and he stumbled over the question. It’s one you\u2019d expect to be easy to answer”, said lecturer in politics at TU Dublin, Dr Kevin Cunningham.<\/p>\n
“Figures show how Miche\u00e1l Martin and Fianna F\u00e1il are taking votes off Fine Gael but losing more working-class votes to Sinn Fein”, he added.<\/p>\n
![\"Taoiseach](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/00245f72-614.jpg\"\/)
\nWith 48 TDs, Fianna F\u00e1il is the largest party in the D\u00e1il again for the first time since its 2011 meltdown<\/p>\n
Several members said the party needs to evaluate which part of the electorate it is catering for.<\/p>\n
“We need to go back to the roots a bit more and set out a clear vision of where we want to go. I believe we need to return to Jack Lynch\u2019s ideal of being a strong centre-left party”, said Leonard Hurley.<\/p>\n
Ms Hanafin believes the “party is what the party does” and will rely on the performance of its ministers to perform well electorally. She said there will be frustration on housing until results are evident, and that might not bode well for Fianna F\u00e1il.<\/p>\n
The party is also facing a demographic challenge with one TD caustically remarking how the Ard Fheis was full of grandparents “with the odd grandchild thrown in for good measure”. This comment was dismissed as unfair by several others, but there is an acknowledgement that the party needs to do more to attract younger voters – with polls showing it languishing among this cohort.<\/p>\n
“Fianna F\u00e1il has a huge history and it’s right we celebrate it. But we need to adapt to the way society is changing. We need to look at new ways to communicate with the younger generation. This is not just a challenge for Fianna F\u00e1il, but we do need to look at how we can get younger voices coming through”, said 24-year-old Clare Councillor Rachel Hartigan.<\/p>\n
A short walk away from the Fianna F\u00e1il Ard Fheis last night, another milestone celebration was taking place with Dublin nightlife institution Copper Face Jacks hosting a special event to mark 30 years in business.<\/p>\n
And just like in 1996, Bertie Ahern was in the headlines again after his comments on immigration. Mr Martin insisted he cannot stop Mr Ahern from canvassing for Fianna F\u00e1il while the former taoiseach said he largely stands over his remarks.<\/p>\n
While acknowledging Mr Ahern could have framed his comments better, some Fianna F\u00e1il members privately expressed support for the underlying principle in the former leader\u2019s initial contribution.<\/p>\n
Others were more annoyed that the diversity within Fianna F\u00e1il was overshadowed by Mr Ahern’s comments, with several candidates from various ethnic backgrounds running for positions on the Fianna F\u00e1il \u00c1rd Comhairle this weekend, including Councillor Ammar Ali and Councillor Uruemu Adejinmi.<\/p>\n
Mr Ahern’s expected arrival at Dublin\u2019s Royal Convention Centre this afternoon will be watched with intrigue.<\/p>\n
And so, 100 years since the party was founded in Dublin’s La Scala Theatre, Mr Martin takes to the stage for his live televised address tonight with Fianna F\u00e1il at yet another key point in its history.<\/p>\n
The Taoiseach is highly unlikely to emulate former Dublin GAA captain Bryan Cullen\u2019s famous “See Yiz All in Coppers” All-Ireland speech.<\/p>\n
But he will hope to answer some of those searching questions facing both his leadership and his party.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One hundred years ago today, Se\u00e1n Lemass argued against calling a new political party Fianna F\u00e1il for fear…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":451625,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,43],"class_list":["post-451624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=451624"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451624\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/451625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=451624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=451624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=451624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}