Denis Naughten: Highlights and regrets of a long political career

With a political career that spanned almost three decades, Denis Naughten could be forgiven if he struggled to pick just one highlight, but his response to this question was immediate and unequivocal - the National Broadband Plan.

"There's no doubt about that. I started on about this back in 2001 - Michael Noonan appointed me as the Deputy Spokesperson on Public Enterprise, the Minister at the time was Mary O'Rourke, and I focused on the telecommunications sector," said Denis, adding that the big issue at the time was the last mile connection to the door and opening that up to competition.

"There was absolute hostility to that within Telecom Éireann," Denis recalled. He said he remembers speaking to someone at the time who explained about the fibre optic networks in the country and the need to connect them up and that the future of both the country and telecommunications was access to broadband.

He said he had pursued it with various ministers while he was in opposition and got it into the Fine Gael manifesto ahead of the 2007 general election, which then formed part of the Programme for Government following the 2011 election.

"I actually ended up in charge of it at a very critical juncture, and, in fairness, the day the contract was signed every single one of the senior officials that I had worked with, every single one of them, contacted me individually to say that the project would never have got over the line without the work that I put in," he said.

"And that is the one thing - the single thing - that I am proud of," said Denis.

He added that it is not simply about providing access to broadband, but that he is passionate about e-health and having fibre optic cable going to every door will provide people with the opportunity to have their chronic illness managed at home, allow people to spend less time in hospital, and will help keep people living independently in their homes for longer.

And where there are highlights, so too will there be regrets when reflecting on a long political career.

"In relation to broadband, that dinner with David McCourt, absolutely I regret it. At the time, all of the bidders had pulled out of the project. David McCourt was under pressure from his investors to pull out," he said adding that there were concerns that if there was a change in government the plan would be scrapped.

"There was a lot of hostility within the civil service to it, and they were hearing that as well, and I was saying to them, no, the reality is this is going to go ahead from a political perspective regardless of who is in government, and trying to provide that reassurance,

"Look, absolutely, do I regret it? I do regret it, but I was determined to ensure that this project happened and there was such vested commercial interest trying to undermine it, and such objection within the civil service, and some of that came out in the public domain subsequently. I knew that if this project paused for any reason, it would never have happened again in relation to it."

The other thing he regrets was in relation to backing the 2010 ‘heave’ against Enda Kenny, saying that, in hindsight, it perhaps wasn't the best thing to do at that stage.

One thing he doesn't regret was leaving Fine Gael in 2011 over the downgrading of Roscommon Hospital.

"I had made my position quite clear during that general election, and in fairness it wasn't just me. Enda Kenny came to The Square in Roscommon at the time and endorsed my position. James Reilly had done an interview on Shannonside Radio and endorsed my position. Eamon Gilmore, who was the subsequent Tánaiste, had done an interview on Shannonside Radio and endorsed my position.

"And it was impossible for me to continue to support a government where you have the Minister for Health, the Tánaiste, and the Taoiseach saying one thing before an election and changing their mind a couple of weeks later. So I have absolutely no regrets in relation to that.

"It would have been disingenuous of me. There were enough people in politics talking out of both sides of their mouths, saying one thing before an election and doing another thing afterwards. That's what has undermined the credibility of politics and I wasn't prepared to do that, or to stand over that, so I have no regrets in relation to that," said Denis.

His subsequent election as an Independent TD saw him rewarded for his stance, when he exceeded the quota on the first count.

"It was a huge honour to exceed the quota on the first count. Yes, it was a personal vote for me, but it was also sending out a message to the broader politic that you can't say one thing and do something else, you need to at least be honest with people in the run-up to an election," said the 52-year-old.

He has since rejoined Fine Gael and explained that his late brother, John, had remained within Fine Gael and always held the view that he would like to see Denis back in the party.

"After John decided to run for the (2024) general election, I had made my mind up that I would rejoin the party and support him in the campaign. That didn't come to pass, but I had made up my mind that I was going to do it, and I know it was something that he would have wanted," he said.

Reflecting of what has been a difficult year of the family and for the local community, after John Naughten's passing, Denis said: "It has surprised me meeting people where I've been consoling them rather than the other way around, particularly around this area of South Roscommon - Drum, Monksland and Clonown."

He said, while he doesn't miss politics, "probably the only thing that gives me pangs is looking at projects that John and I would have been working on... he would have been pushing the community park here (Monksland), the public consultation on the community centre at the moment, the digital hub, the opening of the dressing rooms in Clonown, where we would have worked on it together, where John would have hounded me in order to get the ear of a particular Minister on a project, and it is hard to see those things moving on and he's no longer part of it.

"There are many families that have had to deal with challenges like this and all we can do is take each day as it comes."

Denis added that passing by projects that John would have worked on brings a smile to his face as he thinks of his brother, such as using the new roundabout at Cloonakilla NS, a project that John had put a huge amount of effort into.

The only other thing that gives him the odd pang as he looks back are decisions he made as Minister which are only now coming to fruition, as the nature of the Department he oversaw meant that projects were long-term.

He listed renewable energy initiatives and the air quality strategy as examples of projects he had pushed for.

"There's a lot coming through that's being implemented by my successors, and I get great personal satisfaction in seeing those happen," concluded Denis.