In Paschal Donohoe’s constituency of Dublin Central, he is often described as “the safest pair of hands in the Government”.
In Phibsborough on Tuesday, shortly after news emerged of his intended move to the World Bank, constituent Denis McCarthy told The Irish Times he was surprised Donohoe was stepping down.
“He was very connected to the area. I’ve met him personally a few times. I always thought he was the safest pair of hands in the Government,” he said.
“He never made a mistake, he never dropped a ball and he was always a very impressive gentleman.”
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He recalled travelling back from Paris last year when the plane got “a bit wobbly”. “I saw Paschal [on board] and I thought, you know what, we’re going to land okay.”
Donohoe stepped down from his position as minister for finance on Tuesday and will resign as a TD later this week, before taking up his new job next Monday. He has served as a TD since 2011 and a Cabinet minister since 2014.
“I think he probably deserves the position, he’s a very intelligent politician,” reflected Jimmy Hanratty, who lives in the nearby Dublin North West constituency.
“He’s probably reached the end of the road here as minister for finance.”
Hanratty believes he will do well in his new position and views it as a “prestigious job for an Irish person”.
“He’ll be missed, he was always very good on radio or TV interviews – he knew all the answers.”
Claire Kenny, who recently moved out of the area, said: “I’m not a supporter of Fine Gael at all but I recognise that he’s an intelligent politician.
“I suppose he is good at his job but I wouldn’t have agreed with policies and how the country has turned out in terms of housing. It’s created a bigger schism of rich and poor and his policies have helped do that.”
When asked about his career change, she said: “I think it’s fairly typical of the type of thing he’d do, he’s looking after himself – and why not? That’s what he has to do.”
Peter Beegan, from the Dublin North West constituency, said Donohoe’s seat in Dublin Central was “a left-leaning seat yet he held it comfortably ... that’s probably because the man was competent – whether he was or wasn’t I don’t really know. He certainly had an air of being competent.”
“He might not be universally liked but in general I think the man is respected. From Pascal Donohoe’s point of view, he can say the country is in a better state because of his service.
“Yes, he could deflect, yes, he could tell you what you want to hear – he’s a politician. But at the end of the day, the job got done and it got done well.”
Orla Cahill, who lectures at Technological University Dublin, said: “I think he’s done the best he could considering the circumstances ... so he will be missed.”
