Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch ‘in good spirits’ as he steps up efforts to win Dail seat on campaign trail before crucial vote

GERRY ‘The Monk’ Hutch hit the campaign trail today as he upped his efforts to win a Dail seat in the Dublin Central by-election next week.

The crime boss was on the doorsteps in Cabra in a bid to pick up votes ahead of next Friday’s crucial vote.

A man walking on a sidewalk holding election materials, while two people stand in the doorway of a house. — **Gerry Hutch went door-to-door campaigning in Cabra ahead of the Dublin Central by-election**Credit: © RollingNews.ie

A group of men on a street, with one man holding up his hand as if making a point, and a small dog walking in front of him. — **The crime boss was warmly greeted by potential voters during the trail**Credit: © RollingNews.ie

Hutch, 63, who is currently the third favourite to take the Dail seat, joked with constituents as he tried to gather up more support.

The veteran criminal has his sights set on former Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe’s seat after he resigned to take up a position with the World Bank.

Followed by his campaign truck, The Monk spoke to a number of people on the doorstep, shook hands with others he met on the street, and was greeted warmly by potential voters.

An onlooker said: “Gerry was in good spirits as he went after votes. He hasn’t been seen much over the past few weeks but considering it’s the final weekend before the election, he was making sure his presence was known.

A man on a ladder installs a political campaign poster for "Hutch Gerard" on the side of a building. — **Gerry’s brother Patsy Hutch has been out on the streets of Dublin’s north inner city hanging up Gerry’s election posters**Credit: Padraig O’Reilly.

A woman with long wavy brown hair and a pink blazer smiles at the camera in a modern office building. — **Sinn Fein’s Janice Boylan leads the race, according to the latest poll**

“And people reacted very well to him. He was polite and friendly and while he didn’t have to say what kind of policies he had up his sleeve, he promised some kind of change.

“The people in Cabra are fairly fed up with the current Government. So he will get support and no one around here will be at all surprised to see him run the leading candidates very close.”

Hutch hasn’t been seen much throughout the campaign, but has been posting videos saying a vote for him is a vote for change.

Recently, his brother Patsy Hutch has been out on the streets of Dublin’s north inner city hanging up Gerry’s election posters.

During the Special Criminal Court judgement in 2023, which found Gerry Hutch not guilty of the murder of Kinahan associate David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in 2016, the three judges determined that a “reasonable possibility arises that the Regency was planned by Patsy Hutch”.

Patsy was the father of Gary Hutch, who was shot dead in Marbella in September 2015, a murder which ignited the Kinahan-Hutch feud which resulted in the killing of 18 men in a three-year period.

Following his acquittal, Gerry set his sights on a career in politics and narrowly missed out on a Dail seat to Labour’s Marie Sherlock in the general election in November 2024.

This week, it emerged that he had soared into contention in the by-election, sitting third favourite to win the coveted Dail seat.

Sinn Fein’s Janice Boylan is leading the race on 21 per cent first-preference support, according to a TG4/Irish Times Ipsos B&A poll, followed by the Social Democrats’ Daniel Ennis on 18 per cent.

Notorious gangster Hutch, who is running as an Independent, is on 14 per cent.

The survey of voters indicated Ray McAdam of Fine Gael is on 13 per cent, with the Greens’ Janet Horner on eight per cent and Independent Malachy Steenson on seven per cent.

Labour’s Ruth O’Dea recorded six per cent support, while Fianna Fail candidate John Stephens is on four per cent and Eoin O Ceannabhain of People Before Profit is back on three per cent.

When voters were asked for their second preference, 15 per cent indicated that they would support Mr Ennis, 14 per cent were planning to give that preference to Ms Horner, while ‘The Monk’ got eight per cent support.

Voters will go to the polls in Dublin Central this Friday.