Profile: John McGuinness (FF)

John McGuinness (58) is something of a maverick within Fianna Fáil and known to harbour leadership ambitions. He gained a high profile in the last Dáil as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and was seen as effective and outspoken. He has never courted popularity in that role or as a member of the parliamentary party. The consensus is that his leadership ambitions are history, given Micheál Martin's strong performance in the general election and the likelihood the mantle will pass to one of the younger generation of TDs in the fullness of time. A Kilkenny-city based TD, McGuinness has a strong constituency base, surviving the public backlash against the party in 2002. He served as minister of state for enterprise, trade and employment in a Fianna Fail-led government. He is married to Margaret Redmond and they have three sons and one daughter.