Jim Gavin has ruled out running for President of Ireland again.
The former Dublin men's senior football manager has broken his silence on his dramatic withdrawal from the presidential race last year, following reports that he had owed a former tenant €3,300 since 2009.
Speaking to Off The Ball, Gavin has stated that he will "never" run for president again, before going on to describe last year's campaign for Fianna Fáil as "bitter and intense".
“I’ll never do it again but I have no regrets of what I did", Gavin said.
When asked if he thought others would be deterred from running for president due to his experience, Gavin added that he “wouldn’t blame them for that being of that perspective”.
He continued: “Nonetheless, if you have that sense of duty in you, a sense of service to countries Ireland", before admitting that it was a shock at "how intense the whole thing was".
“I probably had a romantic view of public service and duty, from my time in the Defence Forces", he added.
Having announced plans to run for President of Ireland, Jim Gavin ultimately withdrew from the race following revelations that he owed €3,300 to a tenant since 2009, which was an overpayment of rent which the tenant claimed was never returned.
According to the tenant, the payments were made by mistake and were never repaid.
The property in question was also not registered with the Residential Tenancies Board at the time, something which Jim Gavin had acknowledged and admitted was a mistake which arise from financial difficulties and not being completely familiar with the rules at the time.
In the end, Gavin withdrew from the race, releasing this statement last October.
“Recent days have given me cause to reflect. I made a mistake that was not in keeping with my character and the standards I set myself. I am now taking steps to address the matter. I have also thought long and hard about the potential impact of the ongoing campaign on the wellbeing of my family and friends. Taking all these considerations on board, I have decided to withdraw from the presidential election contest with immediate effect and return to the arms of my family".
