"Ticks a lot of boxes" - Academic Deirdre Heenan in frame for FF Áras bid

The party is seeking to emulate its success in the 1997 presidential election when Ms McAleese, a Belfast lawyer and academic, won the election after getting the backing of FF.

Extra.ie spoke with several Fianna Fáil sources yesterday, with broad support for Ms Heenan despite some concern raised about ‘lack of name recognition’.

Several of the party sources contacted by this newspaper said that they first came across Ms Heenan when she spoke at a party event in UCD to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

"I wasn’t surprised to hear her name as she ticks a lot of Mary McAleese boxes. She was very impressive when she spoke at the Good Friday event and would fit the mould of what Micheál [Martin] would want," they said.

At the event, Ms Heenan, a professor of social policy, was on stage alongside former Fianna Fáil leader and taoiseach Bertie Ahern, former minister Martin Mansergh, as well as Mr Martin.

"She was very impressive and really challenging about the Good Friday Agreement. She spoke about how too many people sit back and applaud the GFA, when, in her view, it is not yet complete, and that we can’t afford to rest on our laurels.

"She was the most impressive speaker that day," the source said. A separate party source who also attended the UCD event said her selection would be a ‘fresh approach’ and she had the benefit of "not having built up a lot of enemies in the political system as she hasn’t been part of it."

In 2012, Ms Heenan was appointed by President Michael D Higgins to his Council of State. The Council of State advises the President when they are considering referring a bill to the Supreme Court to test its constitutionality, refusing to dissolve the Dáil on the advice from the Taoiseach or declaring a state of emergency.

The sources said that presidential elections cost a lot of money and that they don’t offer much return to the party.

"If you introduce a candidate, like Deirdre, from the six counties and use it not only as to put someone forward for the presidency but to also lead the conversation about what a United Ireland looks like, that could be worthwhile."

Ms Heenan is from Annaclone in Co. Down, educated at Banbridge Academy and Ulster University and lives in Derry with her husband and three sons. She did not reply to a request for comment last night.

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.