Election 2024: Locals nonplussed by the Monk's close call in Dublin Central
At Count In Gerry Centre Picture: Hutch Photos The The Rds Boal/collin Sam
“Ah here, leave it bleeding out, vote for the Monk number 1.”
Ann Grimes’s famous urging of people to stop fighting on a Dublin street in a clip that went viral over a decade ago was repurposed on Friday as she exited her count centre having given Gerard Hutch her number one vote.
Shared on the man known as the Monk’s social media, that distinctive inner city voice now urged people to vote for a man who came so very, very close to a seat for Dublin Central in Dáil Éireann in the 2024 general election.
Regarded by some as a kind of 'Robin Hood' figure despite his long-standing links to criminality and organised crime, the north inner city native is extremely well known both locally and nationally.
The irony of the campaign posters for Marie Sherlock bearing a slogan “Put Sherlock on the case” with a magnifying glass was not lost when she beat him for the last seat.
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Just over 18 months ago, Gerard ‘the Monk’ Hutch had been in a courtroom waiting to hear if he had been found guilty of murder (he was found not guilty). Barely a few weeks ago, he was detained by police in Spain as part of a money-laundering investigation but was released and returned to Ireland.
But, as the ballots opened on Saturday morning, it became clear that Mr Hutch was cleaning up votes in a huge way in parts of Dublin’s north inner city such as East Wall and North Strand.
There’s not as many of his posters on the roads but plenty of them inside house windows in the area, vying with “Santa stop here” as the most popular.
Walking through North Strand and Ballybough on Sunday, people were not surprised the Monk was in with such a strong chance of nabbing a seat.
But not everyone in the area was keen on him securing one. Martha, who said she’s lived in the local area all her life, was in a rush but she did stop to talk. She said:
"But I didn’t vote Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, or Sinn Féin either.”
Two more women, who did not want to be named, made clear their displeasure at the idea of Hutch getting in while asking for updates on how he’s doing on Sunday afternoon.
“I think it’s a disgrace if he gets in,” one said.
Meeting Stephen for a chat at the Five Lamps, he stresses he is from Cavan so is a blow-in, but was keen to chat politics and Gerard Hutch.
“Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil can’t just keep going around and saying they just won’t go in with Sinn Féin,” he said.
He said that seeing a person with such a high profile getting so close to being elected is “something you usually see in Latin America or South America, places like that”.
James, also from the local area, said “nothing surprises me anymore” when asked how he felt about Mr Hutch being so close to a seat in the Dáil.
“There’s a lot of discontent with the main parties,” he said. “You know the last debate was terrible.”
He said there’d been a suggestion that he was a substitute for more right-wing candidates but was not sure that was the case.
“Nobody wants to see the rise of the far right at all,” he said. “Democracy is a powerful thing. If a man gets elected, the man’s elected and then he will be judged on his achievements in the Dáil and that’s the main thing.”