Bertie Ahern praised Micheál Martin on his “hard-working career” while noting it had been “a long road” for him to reach the office of Taoiseach, in a letter congratulating him on attaining the office.
Mr Martin responded pledging to build on Mr Ahern’s “historic work” on the Belfast Agreement and complimented his predecessor’s “great insight and knowledge” on Brexit.
Correspondence released by the Department of the Taoiseach under the Freedom of Information Act shows the pleasantries exchanged between the current and former Fianna Fáil leader after Mr Martin’s election as Taoiseach in June 2020.
Last week’s Fianna Fáil’s parliamentary party heard calls for Mr Ahern to be readmitted to the party ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement in 2023. He resigned from Fianna Fáil in 2012 following the report of the Mahon tribunal which had investigated his personal finances. This came ahead of a motion to expel Mr Ahern from Fianna Fáil tabled by Mr Martin. Mr Ahern described the motion as a “grave injustice”, and it is believed to have coloured the relationship between him and Mr Martin for years.
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In his June 2020 letter, Mr Ahern congratulated the new Taoiseach and wrote: “Your long and hard-working career in politics has brought you to the highest office.” He outlined Mr Martin’s career from Cork Corporation to being “a key minister in our main departments to leadership of Fianna Fáil.”
Mr Ahern added: “A long road but all of them will now be of great assistance to face and lead the country over the next few years.”
He outlined the challenges of “economic renewal through the Covid-19 period, climate issues and Brexit along with moderation of our business sector and building on your vision of higher education”.
Mr Ahern wished Mr Martin “good health, strength, and success for the future”.
Mr Martin responded by thanking him for his “kind letter”, and added: “As you know only too well, there are always challenges facing any government but hopefully the experience I’ve garnered down through the years in different portfolios will stand me in good stead”.
Mr Martin said he was “confident that we can deliver results for the people and repair the damage that the pandemic has wrought on business and jobs, not to mention the human cost to families that have lost loved ones”.
He added: “I also intend to proactively engage with the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, building on you historic work
“Brexit is of course the other great challenge, a subject I have heard you speaking on with great insight and knowledge.”
Asked on Thursday if Mr Ahern might rejoin Fianna Fáil, the Taoiseach said: “In the fullness of time, certainly we could give that consideration,” adding that Mr Ahern’s resignation from the party had “a context there and issue there”.
“As far as I’m concerned, you know, it’s 10 years on. I’m conscious of the contribution he has made to peace in the country, a very significant contribution,” he added.
Asked about the possibility of rejoining Fianna Fáil, Mr Ahern said at the time the “issue has come up many times over the years, and I’m not going to comment on it”.
