DECLARATION CONTROVERSY:FINE GAEL candidate Gay Mitchell has claimed he did not attend the announcement of the result of the final count in the presidential election because his team informed him there was "no need" to turn up.
Four of the six defeated candidates were present for the declaration of the winner, but Mr Mitchell and Independent candidate Mary Davis were not there to hear Michael D Higgins’s acceptance speech. Ms Davis has conceded she made a mistake.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who attended on Saturday evening, thanked Mr Mitchell’s campaign team for their work.
Mr Mitchell’s poor performance, with just 6.4 per cent of first preference votes, was one of the main talking points of the election, while Ms Davis came last of the seven candidates with 2.8 per cent of first preferences.
Senior Fine Gael sources yesterday criticised Mr Mitchell. “People are absolutely going berserk. He has let down the party big time. He has let himself down as an adult politician. He has let down the party leader,” one said.
Mr Mitchell said yesterday that having congratulated Mr Higgins at the first count on Friday, his team told him there was no need to turn up again in Dublin Castle for the conclusion of the count the following day.
“The tradition of speaking at the end of a count is gone,” said Mr Mitchell. Later he attended an event in Dublin to mark a Hindu festival, Diwali.
A spokesman for Mr Mitchell said on Saturday that the candidate had chosen not to attend the final count.
After paying a warm tribute to Mr Higgins at Dublin Castle on Saturday evening, Mr Kenny added: “I should say, it wasn’t to be Gay Mitchell’s campaign, but on his behalf, and on behalf of his wife, Norma, I would thank all of the people who worked on his campaign over the last many weeks. Gay is the leader of our group at European level – he will continue to be so.
“He’s a good man, has always worked for the principles that he believes in in politics.”
Speeches were also made by defeated candidates Seán Gallagher, Martin McGuinness, David Norris and Dana Rosemary Scallon.
Independent candidate Mary Davis, who polled lowest of all seven candidates, said she had made a mistake by not turning up and felt badly about it subsequently.
“I was genuinely unaware of the protocol or my duty to be there. I thought Saturday was the stage for Michael D, Sabina and their family. I didn’t realise others would be there,” Ms Davis said.
“It was only later when I saw it on the news I thought, gosh, I should’ve been there. I did feel bad about it. It was a total mistake on my part rather than a feeling that I didn’t want to be there.
“I was there at the count on Friday evening and was one of the first to congratulate Michael D. I honestly thought that Saturday was for him.
“Had I known for one moment I should’ve been there, of course I would’ve been there.”