Gerry “The Monk” Hutch joked he could be among the richest TDs if elected in Dublin Central. Danny Healy-Rae replied it would be “easy” for him to have more, demanding he “talk to someone else.”
Danny Healy-Rae has responded with a sharp three-word style message to Gerry “The Monk” Hutch after the veteran TD candidate hinted he could be wealthier than the Healy-Raes.
The exchange followed comments attributed to Hutch, who quipped he could end up “neck and neck” with the brothers as one of the richest TDs if elected in the Dublin Central by-election.. Hutch has said he will declare his assets if he wins, but he has avoided laying out the full details of his property holdings ahead of the vote.
Healy-Rae’s response, delivered in a blunt tone, suggests he wants the claim to stay away from headlines unless Hutch is prepared to back it up directly. Danny Healy-Rae told Misryoum that it “would be easy” for Hutch to have more than him, adding that the man would “have to talk to someone else.”
Danny Healy-Rae went further, saying he “doesn’t know the man at all” because he never sees Hutch day to day and mainly reads what appears in the papers.. He suggested that if Hutch wanted to discuss such matters publicly, it should not be treated as a guessing game driven by newspaper lines rather than direct knowledge.. While he maintained that people are entitled to stand, he also stressed the move is not something that affects his own constituency.
The Healy-Rae brothers have often been associated with political debates that blend local popularity with national attention, and this wealth dispute lands right in the middle of a theme Irish voters frequently scrutinise: who holds what, who benefits, and how public trust is earned.. For Danny, the focus appears less on figures and more on the idea that Hutch should speak directly—rather than fire off speculative claims meant to sound provocative.
Behind the banter, the politics of assets declarations are a real issue in Ireland’s electoral culture.. Candidates are expected to follow the rules around disclosing interests and declaring holdings, yet public discussion can still influence how people read a race.. When wealth is framed as a contest, it can tilt attention away from policy detail and onto perception, especially in by-elections where voters are moving quickly between campaigns.
Michael Healy-Rae, Danny’s brother, was more restrained in his reaction. He declined to comment, leaving the sharpest words to Danny.
Hutch’s candidacy is now official for the Dublin Central by-election.. His registration has been listed through the constituency’s returning officer, confirming that he will be on the ballot.. Hutch has been described in court by a judge as the patriarchal figurehead of the Hutch criminal organisation, and the case history continues to sit alongside his attempts to build a parliamentary path.
The timeline adds to the tension.. Hutch announced his surprise bid for a seat in the 2024 general election after returning to Ireland following his arrest in Spain connected to an international money-laundering investigation.. In that contest, he secured 3,096 first-preference votes and finished fourth in the initial count.. Transfers lifted him to 5,321 votes by the 11th and final count, but he narrowly missed out on the seat, finishing behind Labour’s Marie Sherlock, who took the final position with 6,102 votes.
The by-election Hutch now seeks follows the resignation of then-minister Paschal Donohoe last year, after he took up a role at the World Bank.. The ballot is expected to be crowded, including Fine Gael councillor and current Lord Mayor of Dublin Ray McAdam, Social Democrats councillor Daniel Ennis, People Before Profit candidate Eoghan O Ceannabhain, and independent councillors Malachy Steenson and Mannix Flynn.. Sinn Féin councillor Janice Boylan and Green councillor Janet Horner are also expected to stand, along with Fianna Fáil councillor John Stephens, Labour’s Ruth O’Dea, and Aontu’s Ian Noel Smyth.
Dublin Central voters will cast ballots on May 22, the same date as a separate by-election for Galway West, triggered by the resignation of Catherine Connolly after she became President of Ireland.. With so many candidates and a background already packed with controversy, the wealth spat may become one of the moments voters latch onto as the race sharpens—especially as Danny Healy-Rae and Hutch trade arguments over who is rich, who should be talking, and what voters should really care about.