Ahern has ‘no intention’ of returning to ‘old job’ as he rejoins Fianna Fáil

Bertie Ahern has returned to Fianna Fáil as “an ordinary member” he said on Thursday night, quipping that he had “no intention of going back to my old job”.

The former Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader brushed aside questions on whether he would like to run for the presidency in 2025 saying: “Listen it’s too far away.”

Put to him by reporters that he was not ruling it out, he replied: “I hope I’m alive that long.”

[ Drumcondra deeply divided over Bertie Ahern’s Fianna Fáil return ]

Asked if his return to the party fold just over a decade after he quit was a form of rehabilitation, he replied: “No I don’t have to rehabilitate meself anywhere thankfully.”

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Bertie Ahern’s return is par for the course for Fianna Fáil, a party that frequently rejects history

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Mr Ahern made the comments ahead of an event in Ballsbridge to mark the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement. He received a standing ovation from 300 people gathered at the event in Fianna Fáil TD Jim O’Callaghan’s Dublin Bay South constituency.

Mr Ahern’s return to the party, just over a decade after he quit, emerged on Wednesday.

He has rejoined his local Dublin Central Cumann where he said he had previously been a member for 41 years.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin had proposed Mr Ahern’s expulsion in the wake of adverse findings by the Mahon tribunal about his evidence related to his personal finances published in its 2012 report.

Mr Ahern has disputed the tribunal’s findings and insisted in 2012 that he “never accepted a bribe or a corrupt payment”.

He left Fianna Fáil before he could be expelled.

Mr Ahern said his return to the party came after discussions that took place at a Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting in September. He said there had been “widespread support for me joining as a member”.

Asked if he would seek elected office he joked: “I have no intention of going back into my old job.”

On speculation that he would like to make a bid for Áras an Uachtaráin Mr Ahern said: “My main job is trying to stay alive that long. It doesn’t come up for a long, long time.”

He said that “on a serious note” he had just returned from Brussels where he had attended an event with UK Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris where there was a debate on the Northern Ireland protocol.

He said his focus continues to be trying to get the powersharing institutions back up and running and “the whole issue around Brexit”.

Mr Ahern said he has been “up and down the country” over the last decade attending conferences on Brexit in the Border counties.

He said he hopes to work with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Tánaiste Micheál Martin like he did with former minister for foreign affairs Simon Coveney on the restoration of the institutions in the North saying that’s how he sees his role.

[ Bertie is back, but Fianna Fáil members say presidential run a ‘fairytale’ ]

Asked if this was sanctioned by Fianna Fáil he said: “I’m doing it because I’m Bertie Ahern, I’m a former Taoiseach. I do it out of public service.”

Later, speaking at the Dublin Bay South anniversary event Mr Ahern predicted there will be “substantial progress” in Brexit talks in the coming weeks.

However, he said even if there is a deal it will still take time to restore the Northern Ireland institutions.

“It just won’t be we’re all back into normal in Stormont.

“I think if we had everything up and running by the autumn it would probably be good ... I don’t necessarily think there will be an agreement all wrapped up by the [Belfast Agreement] anniversary.”

Mr Martin said on Wednesday that Mr Ahern’s return to the party now is appropriate given the passage of time and the forthcoming 25th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement.

On Thursday morning Taoiseach Leo Varadkar responded to Mr Ahern’s return to Fianna Fáil by paying tribute to his work on the peace process and saying it was an internal Fianna Fáil matter.