“Never Even Canvassed”: Fianna Fail Kildare South TD Blasts Party's Detached Leadership

Sunday, 23 November 2025 10:31

By Martin Osborne - Head Of News

Kildare South TD Sean Ó Fearghaíl says Fianna Fáil must confront unpalatable truths - and do it quickly - if it wants a viable future.

Fianna Fáil faces what one senior member calls a “demographic cliff-edge”, with the party’s problems running far deeper than its botched Áras campaign.

Those remarks were made by MEP Billy Kelleher and cited by Kildare South TD Seán Ó Fearghaíl, who warned that the party which once shaped modern Ireland is now struggling to reconnect with its members and young voters, and that decisions are being made “remotely” by people who’ve “never even canvassed”.

"Too many of our members feel disconnected and uninvolved. Decisions are made above them, remotely, and sometimes by people who have never even canvassed or knocked on a door," Ó Fearghaíl said.

He says Fianna Fáil must confront unpalatable truths - and do it quickly - if it wants a viable future.

"How can a major national political organisation with members across all walks of life allow itself to sink to a single-digit result? The blame lies with us, as a party, not with a name on a ballot paper. And so does the responsibility to learn from it," he said.

He said the party must confront “unpalatable truths” when its internal report on the Áras campaign lands in the coming weeks. He says the review - led by three Oireachtas colleagues - needs to be delivered “direct and unexpurgated” to TDs and senators, warning that delays in acting on a previous report after the 2020 election allowed momentum to “wane”.