Micheál Martin will be able to overcome rebel discontent within his parliamentary party “with ease”, a former Fianna Fáil staffer has predicted. 

Mutterings about the Taoiseach, his leadership style and determination to continue in his job have grown since the Presidential Election in which Fianna Fáil received its worst ever result. 

Despite this, no motion of no confidence has been tabled in the party’s longest serving leader since de Valera. 

It’s led to one young TD, 27 year old Albert Dolan, to tell his colleagues to put up or keep quiet. 

“If people have concerns and if they’re not happy with leadership, then they do have an obligation to make a decision as to what course of action they wish to take,’ he told Extra.ie. 

On Newstalk, former Fianna Fáil staffer Terry Prone, chairman of the Communications Clinic, said rebels have “always existed” but that their unhappiness would not translate into action. 

“They provide entertainment value, but you need to be very careful about assuming that they will actually do it and put their name on a piece of paper,” she predicted.  

Taoiseach Micheal Martin welcomes European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Government Buildings in Dublin. Picture by: Alamy.com. 

Ms Prone added that anyone who works in politics should be “very careful about underestimating Micheál Martin”. 

“I need to put my hands up here and say that for about seven or eight years I worked for Micheál Martin, back when he was Minister for Health and so forth,” she said. 

“And there is nobody who is less bothered by conspiracy than Micheál Martin.

“He is slow, he is cautious and he has judgment. 

“And I think that that's the only thing that took people aback over the Jim Gavin episode, the ‘What the hell was Micheál Martin thinking?’ - because it was so untypical of him.

“Can he get over it? In my view, yes, he can and with some ease.”

Micheál Martin is due to swap jobs with Simon Harris and become Tánaiste again in November 2027.

Main image: Micheál Martin shaking hands with Jim Gavin. Picture by: Eamonn Farrell/ RollingNews.ie