Claire O’Brien took a diplomatic approach to the question of how long Micheál Martin will, or should, remain as Fianna Fáil leader, saying the “leadership in waiting is very patient”. The Galway West ardfheis delegate, who has been involved in candidate Cllr Cillian Keane’s byelection campaign, believes potential challengers to Martin’s 15-year reign “need to be more upfront if they’re going to progress”. In the West, she said, “we would like Dara Calleary to come forward and Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway) to develop his potential in leadership roles”. A survey of delegates as they gathered at the Dublin Convention Centre to mark the party’s centenary revealed a range of views on Martin’s future.Cllr Fiona Murray said there remained big support in the party for the Taoiseach. Regarding the recent fuel protests, the Dublin Rathdown delegate said Martin “did his best with the cards he was dealt because no one had dealt with something like that before”.Cllr Fiona Murray (Dublin Rathdown) at the Fianna Fáil ardfheis Should there be a leadership contest, she believed “you’d be looking at Jack Chambers, Dara Calleary and Jim O’Callaghan” as the main contenders. “I would favour Jack. I think he’s very amenable, he does listen and he has a good personality and a genuineness about him,” she said, adding, “I wouldn’t be pushing Micheál out the door yet”. Conor Muldoon, from Longford-Westmeath, said he believed “it’s time for new leadership”. He has worked for former taoiseach Bertie Ahern and noted “we were ready to go on the presidential campaign”.[ Housing a ‘defining challenge of our time’, Micheál Martin tells Fianna Fáil ArdfheisOpens in new window ]He had nothing against the chosen candidate, Jim Gavin, but felt disregarding “not just Bertie, but the likes of Mary Hanafin as well” was “completely wrong”. He felt “utter disrespect” was shown to the long-time party members.Conor Muldoon (Longford-Westmeath) at the Fianna Fáil ardfheis Muldoon would favour O’Callaghan as the next leader, “although Dara Calleary has come up quite recently, in my view”. O’Callaghan is “a good republican leader, something Micheál has lacked”.Martin rebuilt the party after the 2011 election crash but he pondered “are we now an entirely different party which seems to be becoming ever closer to Fine Gael?” Dublin Rathdown delegate Cathal Horgan said “the main problem facing the party on leadership is that we’ve a missing generation of TDs”.“We have a lot of TDs who are older ... and then we have the new lads coming in, like Ryan O’Meara, Albert Dolan and James O’Connor.”Cathal Horgan (Dublin Rathdown) at the Fianna Fáil ardfheis He said it was “difficult to find a TD who spans the generations”, a leader “that accurately reflects everyone”. Martin’s work rebuilding the party after the economic crash “bought him a lot of slack”, he said, but people were now questioning if he had “used it all up”.Mayo delegate John McGloin agreed that the handling of the fuel protests was “poor enough”, adding “they should have acted a lot quicker”.“People don’t realise that in Government things take a lot longer.” However, he added: “I wouldn’t be rolling heads or anything yet.”John McGloin (Mayo) at the Fianna Fáil ardfheis He said Martin “has done very well” and expects he will, as a “good statesman”, continue to do so when Ireland assumes the Council of the European Union presidency for the second half of the year. But, he said, “it’s time for a change” at the top of the party. “Things get stale in politics, people get bored and we have a general election in three years. I think we need a new face as head of the party.”He would not name a preferred candidate but said there had been no challenger to emerge because of “loyalty” to Martin. “The man has done no wrong to anybody else, and he seems to be holding the ship together,” McGloin said. [ Fianna Fáil focuses on its legacy at ardfheis commemorating its 100th anniversaryOpens in new window ]