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Why Pearse Doherty eventually wants to sell sweets in Donegal

We asked the Sinn Féin finance spokesperson about life after politics.

Screen Shot 2015-10-02 at 15.05.03

PEARSE DOHERTY HAS no personal ambition to lead Sinn Féin.

He’s said it before and has been pretty emphatic, but that hasn’t stopped the Donegal TD from being considered among the contenders to succeed Gerry Adams.

The current Sinn Féin president has been in situ for 33 years and has pledged to lead his party into the next election. Beyond that, Adams’s intentions are unclear.

Doherty and his parliamentary colleague, Mary Lou McDonald, are frequently ranked among the contenders to replace Adams, but both shun questions about their ambitions in a way you’d expect politicians to do.

“If a vacancy arises in the short term then I wouldn’t be interested in contesting that vacancy,” Doherty told TheJournal.ie this week.

pearse point

What about in five years’ time?

I’d have to reassess the situation.

But the Donegal TD has a young family and the strain of travelling up and down from his constituency – a four hour journey – each week has made him consider life beyond politics altogether.

Though he admits he’d like to be Minister for Finance, he somewhat surprisingly revealed that he doesn’t necessarily enjoy being a TD.

So what about life beyond politics for Pearse Doherty? 

It involves a corner shop in rural Donegal and selling sweets. Take a look:

Quinton O'Reilly / TheJournal.ie

Watch more: This man doesn’t care that Sinn Féin ‘scares the bejaysus’ out of some people

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30 Comments
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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Oct 4th 2015, 7:22 AM

    Honest.
    Not something you could expect from a Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Labour or Renua politician…

    211
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    Mute Paul Fahey
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    Oct 4th 2015, 8:13 AM

    Honest, really? How honest was he with his CV? He claimed to be a Civil Engineer, but did not have the qualifications, experience or right to claim such a profession.

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    Mute Groovus Maximus
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    Oct 4th 2015, 8:24 AM

    Puke – don’t even know where to start with this one Paul. So nobody in those parties can ever be honest but there’s a halo around Sinn Fein? I don’t trust most politicians irrespective of party – and definitely not Sinn Fein. Remember Gerry ‘I was never a member of the IRA’ Adams! Honest! Christ get real.

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    Mute Drew TheChinaman :)
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    Oct 4th 2015, 8:40 AM

    Your confusing honest… With being a more convincing and believable liar. Easy mistake to make.

    51
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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Oct 4th 2015, 10:01 AM

    Did you know that “Fearful Four Bang” is an anagram of FF, FG, RENUA, LABOUR?

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    Mute Conor Power
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    Oct 4th 2015, 7:07 AM

    Come with Pearse… and you’ll be… in a world of pure imagination…

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    Mute Conor Mac Manus
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    Oct 4th 2015, 7:57 AM

    Decent guy, I hope he gets finance someday.

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    Mute Dave cullen
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    Oct 4th 2015, 10:56 AM

    Best of luck to him,he’s been a positive force so far in politics unlike the threatening herd of swine we ended up with.

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    Mute Willy
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    Oct 4th 2015, 8:52 AM

    Well this election is about voting anyone but FG/LAB. As it was last time FF. I guess by the process of elimination, SF will do considerably well at this General election ☺

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    Mute Tap Solny
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    Oct 4th 2015, 9:19 AM

    It would not be the first time that IRA/SF were involved in the ‘process’ of elimination.

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    Mute Paul Mc
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    Oct 4th 2015, 9:27 AM

    Pathetic as per usual Tap.

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    Mute Robert Cousins
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    Oct 5th 2015, 10:02 AM

    Not what the polls are saying Willy. Are you extrapolating your views onto the whole electorate? Bit arrogant no?

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    Mute For Connolly
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    Oct 4th 2015, 12:15 PM

    Have to say I genuinely like Doherty, he seems a very honest broker in his dealings in the Dail.

    On the disgraceful prom night, he stood and spoke as a father of a young family witnessing serious financial shackles being placed on the children and grandchildren of our state for the next 40 years, and came across as a proper public representative and compassionate person.

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    Mute MK76
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    Oct 4th 2015, 7:47 AM

    Sell?

    Thought SF were all about giving things away for free.

    86
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    Mute Jimmy jones
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    Oct 4th 2015, 8:19 AM

    Pearse, , you better learn something about accounting and finance first before opening a shop

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    Mute Elaynehb
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    Oct 4th 2015, 12:52 PM

    I like him.. he’s straight talking and passionate. He talks more sense than some in the Dail.

    83
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    Mute B-Egan
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    Oct 4th 2015, 8:58 AM

    The story is up an you and the guardians of the status quo have stayed up all night listening to Daniel O Donnell CDs praying for the days of old where we all went to mass remained a bit thick and Fianna Fail Fine Gael and occasional mistress Labour ruled the roost keeping us in a time loop of scones tae a bit of happiness followed by a whip anytime things got a bit complicated for them. Same ol same ol mass scones and tae.

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    Mute Tap Solny
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    Oct 4th 2015, 8:39 AM

    I do not think that he would be capable of running any shop. How could anybody earn a living from selling sweets in a corner shop in rural Donegal? Typical SF economics. Would you buy sweets from him? Remember the warning about taking sweets from strange men. This is just Doherty’s effort at ingratiating gullible voters, similar to Adams’ tree hugging stunts. And the only reason Adams can get away with tree hugging is because the trees are incapable of running away?

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    Mute Juan Franc
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    Oct 4th 2015, 9:28 AM

    Tap,the order has a stagger every July in Rossnowlagh,Co Donegal so maybe you could pop in and see Pierce,I am sure he could find you something to suck on.

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    Mute Alan O'connor
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    Oct 4th 2015, 9:25 AM

    I wonder has he any comment to make on why SF are against water charges, which everyone would pay, but will not abolish the USC if they get into government, which only people who actually work pay?

    Anyone with a job who votes SF is out of their minds.

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    Mute Declan Carr
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    Oct 4th 2015, 7:56 AM

    Willie Wonker

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    Mute Chris Kirk
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    Oct 4th 2015, 9:30 AM

    He is such a sweet guy, a bit of a licorice all sort, sugar coated but hard on the inside.

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    Mute Garáiste Ó Churáinn-Seisean
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    Oct 4th 2015, 11:08 AM

    A sugar tax might put an end to those aspirations

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    Mute james connolly
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    Oct 4th 2015, 7:54 PM

    he is the joke that keeps on giving

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    Mute Garwig
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    Oct 5th 2015, 1:22 PM

    you couldn’t resist could you Diarmuid

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    Mute George Salter
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    Oct 4th 2015, 11:20 AM

    Remove the word “sweets”, and you have a viable option…

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    Mute Donal Hanley
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    Oct 5th 2015, 10:56 PM

    I have some time for this guy if not for Adams and the rest of the Provos.
    It’s a shame the way these columns gave been taken over by the provision and scribble ad nauseum
    plunder the direct control of Belfast.
    They’ll never be in Government in this state in my lifetime or under their present leadership.
    The SF as founded by Arthur Griffith might.

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    Mute banana man
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    Oct 7th 2015, 2:32 PM

    Does that mean the shinners would go back to the bomb bombs

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