Fionnán Sheahan

They're not really what they were.

They're a very poor, pale shadow of what they were.

Fiona Foyle could claim up to certainly in excess of 40% of the vote for decades on end, sometimes as much as nudging 50% of the vote in

In the aftermath of 2010, I mean, basically two things happened.

Generations that had lived with the idea that we will accept a lesser standard of living, for example, than Britain or even Northern Ireland, because we have our sovereignty.

And then in November 2010, enter the Troika, the IMF, the European Central Bank, the European Commission.

They are controlling Ireland's purse strings.

Our sovereignty is gone.

So that was a huge blow.

Then Fianna Fáil, there wasn't a shilling in the country.

There was an enormous international financial crash.

Banking system fell asunder.

Ireland was more exposed than many countries.

A terrible mess.

Brian Cowan, who had succeeded Bertie Ahern, basically was obliged

The piteous way this was summed up for me was somebody in Fianna Fáil said to me, they were facing into an election in 2011 and said, so we went out and we repossessed the widow Murphy's wheelchair because we couldn't keep up the terms on it.

And now we're going to go out and ask the widow Murphy and her neighbours and friends and relatives to vote for us.

How do you think that one's going to go?

Yeah, and ultimately the party has never recovered.

So this weekend, Michal Martin heads into the 84th Fianna Fáil Ardeis, because it's not an Ardeis every year.