Ivan Yates’s exhortation to Fine Gael during a Newstalk podcast to “smear the bejaysus” out of Catherine Connolly in the presidential campaign was true to form for the broadcaster and former politician. Since arriving in the media industry in 2010, Yates’s trademark approach has been to stir controversy with colourful language. The 66-year-old Wexford man has made a career out of seizing opportunities that benefit himself and making no excuses for it. Because he was a free marketeer and from a Church of Ireland background, he gravitated towards Fine Gael. His Dáil career lasted 20 years, much of which was spent on the Fine Gael front bench, often as spokesman on agriculture.

Source: The Irish Times November 04, 2025 02:42 UTC