Taoiseach Micheál Martin says Fianna Fáil open to Bertie Ahern return

Bertie Ahern resigned from Fianna Fáil in 2012 when the party proposed to expel him

The taoiseach (Irish prime minister) has said Fianna Fáil would consider readmitting former taoiseach Bertie Ahern to the party.

Micheál Martin also said he had "been engaging with" Mr Ahern on the Northern Ireland Protocol for more than a year.

Mr Ahern resigned from Fianna Fáil in 2012 when the party said it would seek to expel him after the Mahon Tribunal.

The tribunal had found that Mr Ahern failed to truthfully account for a number of financial transactions.

It did not make a corruption finding against him.

Mr Martin was speaking at the opening of a shop in Dublin on Thursday when he was asked about reports a party parliamentary meeting had heard calls for Mr Ahern to be allowed to return.

Mr Martin said: "Certainly we would give that consideration."

"No one can take from [Mr Ahern] the contribution he made to peace in Ireland and to the peace process," he said.

'It's ten years on'

Mr Martin was leader of Fianna Fáil when the party said it would move to expel Mr Ahern in 2012.

Addressing his involvement at the time, Mr Martin said "there was context there and there was an issue there".

"As far as I'm concerned it's ten years on," he said.

Mr Ahern served as taoiseach from 1997 to 2008 and was one of the architects of the Good Friday Agreement,

Mr Martin said he was "conscious of the contribution [Mr Ahern] has made to peace in this country".

Taoiseach Micheál Martin was leader of Fianna Fáil in 2012 when the party proposed expelling Bertie Ahern

"He's heavily involved in Northern Ireland issues; he maintains contacts with different groups and, from my perspective, that level of consultation will continue because I think he has a valuable insight into all of that," Mr Martin said.

Also speaking at the shop-opening in Dublin, Fianna Fáil backbench TD John Lahart said calls for Mr Ahern's return were in the context of "the value (and) experience that he brings" to the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

Mr Lahart said few journalists present could say they had not sought out Mr Ahern for comment on Northern Ireland, and there was no reason Fianna Fáil should be any different.

"Fianna Fáil was [Mr Ahern's] home," he said.