Independent candidate Gareth Sheridan is now halfway to securing a nomination for the Presidential Election after gaining the backing of Tipperary County Council, reports RTE.
He now needs only two more local authority nominations to become an official candidate.
A motion was brought before Tipperary councillors proposing no candidate be nominated, but it was narrowly defeated by 20 votes to 19.
Mr Sheridan secured the council’s nomination with 17 votes in favour and three against. Four councillors were absent and 16 abstained, reports RTE.
Yesterday, he also received support from Kerry County Council.
Earlier, Mr Sheridan urged Tipperary councillors not to dismiss his campaign as merely “youthful arrogance”, reports RTE.
He pointed out that the Taoiseach had selected someone with no political background as a presidential nominee.
Mr Sheridan claimed he also had “exceptional life experience,” having been “one of a handful of people who floated a company on a US stock exchange” after founding a successful business focused on the safe delivery of pain medication, reports RTE.
As a businessman and entrepreneur, Mr Sheridan still needs support from two more local councils to appear on the ballot for the 24 October vote.
Fine Gael’s Mary Hanna Hourigan, who voted in favour of Sheridan, said not doing so would be undemocratic.
She said the current lineup, with only three candidates, wasn’t enough, reports RTE.
“I feel it would be undemocratic not to give credible candidates an opportunity to get on the ballot paper. I feel Sheridan is a credible candidate,” Ms Hanna Hourigan stated, reports RTE.
“He is taken seriously and had reached out to people and councillors for the past year. He is not a fly-by-night person. I feel we need competition because having a three-horse race is not enough,” she continued, reports RTE.
“I know we have an excellent candidate in Heather Humphreys and I will be supporting her. Personally, I would love to see Heather Humphreys as President but we have to give everyone a chance,” reports RTE.
Some councillors suggested Mr Sheridan might be more suited to a Dáil campaign.
He responded that there were many people across Ireland who would make better TDs than him. He sees himself instead as a leader and a source of inspiration.
When asked if he believed events in Gaza constituted genocide, he replied, “yes.” He also expressed his support for the Occupied Territories Bill, reports RTE.
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In response to questions about social advocacy, he said he had backed the work of Merchants Quay and cared deeply about their efforts on addiction.
Twelve prospective candidates addressed the special session of Tipperary County Council, reports RTE.
Wicklow County Council has already passed a motion declining to nominate any presidential candidate.
Earlier, Galway County Council made the same decision, reports RTE.
Yesterday, six more local authorities decided against backing any candidate in the race.
Dublin, Cork, and Galway city councils were joined by Laois, Roscommon, and Longford county councils in opting not to support a nomination, reports RTE.
At present, Nick Delehanty and Maria Steen have made little visible headway in securing nominations.
Conor McGregor, the former MMA fighter, officially withdrew from the race yesterday.
To qualify, candidates must be nominated either by 20 Oireachtas members or four local authorities, reports RTE.
They must also be Irish citizens over the age of 35.
Meanwhile, presidential hopefuls Catherine Connolly, Jim Gavin, and former minister Heather Humphreys are campaigning today at the National Ploughing Championships in the Midlands.
Ms Humphreys said her aim would be to break down divisions within communities if she becomes President, reports RTE.
Speaking at the event, she highlighted that her campaign would focus on community and opportunity.
She spoke about promoting unity and pledged to advocate for young people, particularly on housing issues, reports RTE.
She also clarified that her presence at an Orange Order event a decade ago had been at a picnic, not a parade.
Jim Gavin pledged to represent those who feel voiceless if elected.
He said, however, that a president should not interfere with government policies, reports RTE.
The 54-year-old said he saw himself as a young person and could relate to younger generations.
Ms Connolly also engaged with voters at the Ploughing Championships, as did another potential candidate, Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty, reports RTE.
Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said Mr Gavin had been approached by the party and gave serious thought to the proposal.
“He (Jim Gavin) really deliberated on this, thought about it and said he was up for it and wanted to run,” reports RTE.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, the Taoiseach added that in his view, Gavin has the depth and breadth of experience needed for a strong presidency.
“My own sense was he had the breadth and the depth to be a very serious candidate. I’m somewhat struck that people seem to think nowadays that you have to have party political experience to be a candidate for the presidency. That’s a new development, really, in a sense, because that would restrict the presidency to just one cohort and category of people. I actually think that he has very significant experience that covers all the various capacities that are required to be president. I think, above all, he will be an active president.”
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