LAST UPDATE | 14 Nov

GERRY ‘THE MONK’ Hutch has officially registered to run for a Dáil seat in the general election.

He is running as an Independent in the Dublin Central constituency and his name is now on the nominations section on the returning officer’s website.

His profession on the nomination section is put down as “consultant”.

Hutch was filmed by RTÉ exiting the office of the Dublin City returning officer this afternoon.

He didn’t speak, but held his papers up and waved them for the camera.

He was driving a scooter, which was parked outside and was wearing a motorcycle helmet.

He placed his papers on the seat of his scooter before driving away.

Gerry Hutch lodges his papers to run as a candidate in Dublin Central @rtenews pic.twitter.com/ZhJr3546k2

— Paul Cunningham (@RTENewsPaulC) November 14, 2024

Hutch – a notorious gangland figure thought by gardaí to be leader of the Hutch Organised Crime group – was found not guilty by the Special Criminal Court last year for the murder of David Byrne in the Regency Hotel in Dublin in 2016.

The gangland figure was arrested and charged in Lazarote by Spanish police investigating alleged organised crime activity last month. He was released on €100,000 bail last week.

Hutch grew up and operated for many years out of the north inner city. He is very well-known in the area, with a high public profile.

His bid to run is likely to shake things up in an already hyper-competitive constituency. 

Dublin Central has four seats. The sitting TDs are Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, Fine Gael’s Paschal Donohoe, Gary Gannon of the Social Democrats, and Neasa Hourigan from the Green Party. 

Speaking today, Mary Lou McDonald said she “absolutely condemns” Hutch.

“There’s nobody more on record than I in condemning Hutch,” said McDonald.

“I represent the communities that suffer because of this so-called gangland warfare, I represent communities that have suffered the ravages of the heroin epidemic from the 1980s and all of the chapters thereafter.

“I roundly condemn Gerry Hutch or anybody else who is involved in crime, and in particular those that bring the misery and the heartache of drug addiction, drug enslavement, drug debt and all of the violence that stems from that.”

McDonald said that “who runs for election is a matter for electoral law” and added that if Government representatives were “that worried about someone like him stepping onto the pitch”, they should have changed electoral law to prohibit it.

“If he qualifies to run for election, that’s his business, but criminality, a feeling of not being safe in our city, low level anti-social behaviour, is the reality right across this city.”

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Simon Harris today said that Hutch should not be treated like a “minor celebrity”.

“I think it’s important that we don’t treat this individual like some sort of minor celebrity,” said Harris on a canvass today.

“This is the person who’s brought misery and criminality to this capital city. He’s not a celebrity, he’s a criminal.”

Nominations to run in the general election on 29 November close at noon on Saturday.