Presidential election beckons: The week will be bookended with another television debate, this time on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics, on Sunday. Viewers can perhaps expect a livelier affair than the candidates’ first TV outing.

Story of the Week

It was a busy week on the presidential election campaign trail, beginning with the first televised debate on Monday night. Left-wing independent Catherine Connolly proved the most adept debater, but the episode was something of a lacklustre first direct clash between the three candidates.

Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys did not have any hiccups, but made the least impact, as she largely stayed out of the fray. Jim Gavin, Fianna Fáil’s political newcomer, probably exceeded expectations for his very first debate. However, he appeared anxious at times and there was much commentary on the effusive hand gestures he made as he sought to emphasise points.

As the week went on though, there were a series of gaffes by the Gavin campaign. Drone footage was shot without the appropriate permissions having been secured for two events, which was embarrassing given Gavin’s day job as a senior figure at the Irish Aviation Authority.

Meanwhile, Gavin has frequently highlighted his service as an Air Corps officer during the campaign, but there were more red faces during the week as Fianna Fáil removed some Gavin-campaign social