Former UFU president still hopeful of seat in Seanad

Ian Marshall entered the Irish senate in 2018 after being nominated by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

Since then, dozens of both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail TDs lost their seats to a surge in votes for Sinn Fein – with many now vying for a seat in the upper house.

However, Mr Marshall is hopeful that whoever replaces the Fine Gael leader as taoiseach will consider him as one of eleven taoiseach’s nominees.

“The door is not closed. I would like to think there is a possibility of [a taoiseach nomination],” he said.

“I have had two years of good really work. I have built a lot of bridges and done a lot of stuff both in business, in academia and in the political arena. My demise would mean there is a vacuum there. There is still much work to do, but a taoiseach’s nomination is out of my control.”

With no party machine, Mr Marshall said it was always going to be difficult to get elected when, this time around, the voting would involve hundreds of county councils as well as the TDs and senators who voted in the by-election.

“Many high-profile TDs lost out in the last election and didn’t get back in. I think that was unprecedented, so all those displaced Fine Fail and Fine Gael candidates are now looking for seats,” he added.

During his spell in the Seanad, Mr Marshall challenged the Irish government over its lack of cooperation with the Kingsmills massacre inquest, and more recently criticised Sinn Fein TD David Cullinane for making “up the Ra” comments following his re-election in Waterford.