Mary Lou McDonald was all over the place on Wednesday.
This is not a reference to her robust post-leaders’ debate radio appearance when RTÉ’s Justin McCarthy pursued her mercilessly for straight answers to straight questions.
As soon as the Sinn Féin leader escaped the Morning Ireland after the Montrose night before (the least they could have done was given her a bed between grillings), she took off on her penultimate day of hard yards and the softest of hard sells in search of a mandate to govern the country.
From Kildare to Offaly in a four-county blitz that brought her to the second-oldest third-level Catholic institution in Ireland: Carlow College, St Patrick’s.
Election 2024: Who will be in next government? Test the options using our coalition builder tool
The Irish Times view on the year in politics: turbulence and continuity
Martin and Harris must now jettison the frothy promises and focus on the essentials
Eamon Ryan: ‘If Labour and Soc Dems were ambitious on climate, they’d be going into government’
College president Fr Conn Ó Maoldhomhnaigh greeted the Sinn Féin leader along with vice-president Dr Eric Derry, vice-president for academic affairs Dr Lisa Murphy and director of student services Dr Lisa Fortune.
Mary Lou was, of course, late. Party leaders with serious aspirations to high office are always late on the campaign trail. This denotes popularity, willingness to listen and reluctance to leave when there is still flesh to be pressed and ears to be bent.
“Are you keeping to schedule?” we asked her right-hand woman, Dawn Doyle. Dawn just laughed.
Mary Lou has her own canvassing style and it’s very good. She doesn’t hurry. She is approachable, chatty and self-deprecating – a world away from that woman aiming withering barbs at Government rivals across the floor of the Dáil.
It’s early on Wednesday afternoon and not many of the 600-strong student body have turned out to meet her. Those who do are the ones with an interest in politics or a deep admiration for Mary Lou or a burning desire for a selfie.
She makes her way to the Carlovian Dining Hall, cheerily greeting groups of students on the way.
“Good luck with everything! Study hard. Work hard. Play hard. Isn’t that right, Fr Conn? Balance is everything.”
There isn’t an election leaflet in sight.
She meets a group of four first-year psychology students who are thrilled to see her, and sisterly chat ensues. They are fans. A selfie is secured.
What do they think of her? “Amaaazing,” says Lucy O’Donnell from Edenderry. “I think her campaign is brilliant and what she is looking to implement is fantastic, not only for older generations but also for young people.”
All four say they will vote Sinn Féin and so will their friends. “I think she cares,” says Caitlin O’Leary. “All the way,” says Alisha Matthews. “I think we’re all voting Sinn Féin because it’s time for a change.”
This all seems rather suspicious. “No, we are not members of Sinn Féin,” says Rebecca Coffey.
Mary Lou works a few tables in the dining hall. A group of fourth-year arts and humanities students are well up for a discussion.
Áine Gladney-Knox, the party’s candidate in Carlow-Kilkenny, remains at her leader’s shoulder at all times.
The students say they are studying the Troubles and the Northern Ireland peace process. “We are doing Mo Mowlam now,” says one, making us feel absolutely ancient.
Daragh Ó Faoláin delivers a great opener, to “humanise” the politician. It should have been the first question at Tuesday night’s debate.
“What’s your favourite colour?”
Not unsurprisingly, the leader of Sinn Féin mentions almost all the colours under the rainbow along with the fact that she needs a rainbow to make a government.
“I think we are looking for alternatives and at the moment Sinn Féin has the most power to get in,” said Kelsey Motherway, adding that Micheál Martin was in the region on Tuesday but he went to Kilkenny and didn’t come to Carlow College.
But what does it matter, if a politician does or doesn’t turn up in person?
“Because we’re human. What’s the point in me looking at a face on a ballot paper, or whatever. I can go down to the office and talk to them if I want.”
But Simon Harris has been up and down the county meeting as many people as he can. So too has Micheál. “Yeah, I can’t fault that.”
Jacob Ray-Halliday returns to clarify his response after we asked whether he and his friends would be inclined to vote for Sinn Féin.
“Well, yeah, we’ve had this conversation before. Especially, as younger people, we don’t have the cultural baggage perhaps that older people have with Sinn Féin. The relationships they’ve had maybe with the IRA – I mean, we don’t have an emotional connection, perhaps to what those people have gone through. All we know is that it happened with two parties and they’re an alternative, perhaps.”
He returns to stress that he is not an IRA supporter.
“We study the Troubles too,” he says. His comments were more of an academic question than a statement of belief.
What way to vote?
“Things are so shit and miserable that an alternative [is attractive],” he says. “If it gets worse – it doesn’t feel like it can, but if it gets worse, it gets worse. Sure we’ll take a shot. We’ll see what happens.”
Mary Lou listens in the students’ union to complaints about the cost of living, poor transport links and the cost of rent.
“The good news is that you have the choice to vote in what is a really important election,” she tells them. “A choice not to vote for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and to vote in a government of change.
“So what’s the crack in Carlow? This is Ainé, by the way.”
And she seamlessly introduces the candidate.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
- Sign up to our Inside Politics newsletter to get the behind-the-scenes take direct to your inbox
