Dublin City Council votes against nominating presidential candidate
By Cillian Sherlock, PA
Dublin City Council has voted against nominating a candidate for the presidential race.
The presidential election will be held on Friday October 24th.
To be eligible to run, a candidate must be nominated either by 20 members of the Oireachtas or four local authorities and also be an Irish citizen over the age of 35.
It came after Maria Steen urged the councillors not to dismiss her as a candidate because she already claimed the backing of 10 members of the Oireachtas.
Ms Steen was one of seven candidates to address Dublin City Council in person on Monday in an attempt to secure a nomination from the local authority.
The meeting was led by Lord Mayor Ray McAdam.
Ms Steen said she was not asking councillors to vote for her, but urged them to judge her impartially and consider whether she would discharge the duties of the president responsibly.
“You as councillors have a really important constitutional privilege.”
She said there would be no “truly independent candidate” if the councils and Oireachtas members do not nominate someone other than those put forward by major parties.
Independent TD Catherine Connolly has secured sufficient nominations but Ms Steen highlighted that this included the support of Labour and the Social Democrats.
During her speech at Dublin City Council, she acknowledged that she was also seeking a nomination through the Oireachtas.
Having claimed the backing of 10 Oireachtas members, Ms Steen told councillors this was a vote of confidence in the “credibility” of her candidacy.
“However, I would urge you not to see it as a reason not to support me.
“Achieving the support of 10 more Oireachtas members is no easy task and there’s no guarantee that it will be done.”
Ms Steen was a prominent voice among those campaigning for “no” votes in referendums for abortion and same-sex marriage.
She said she accepts the results of those votes.
She also campaigned on the “no” side for last year’s referendums on family and care, which were defeated.
Meanwhile, Hopeful Dolores Cahill told councillors that they may have heard “untrue” things about her, explaining that her reputation went from a “distinguished scientist” to “someone described in the media as a crank and tinfoil hat” wearer.
Ms Cahill said there had been concerted efforts to destroy her name and reputation as an immunologist, adding she was putting her “head above the parapet” again in the presidential election campaign.
Sarah Louise Mulligan said she was a believer of free speech and dedicated her contribution to US conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, who was recently murdered.
Ms Mulligan said she had lived a “life of service and action” and told councillors she had now been called to politics following two decades in the performing arts.
Amid calls of “out of order” directed at the candidate as she made comments about immigration, Mr McAdam directed the former Marilyn Monroe impersonator to comply with the code of conduct agreed for the meeting.
Councillor Gavin Pepper congratulated Ms Mulligan on her speech and said it was wrong that she was laughed at, as she had been on multiple occasions.
Dublin City Council also heard from mathematics lecturer Dr Cora Stack, businesswoman Lorna McCormack, and Catherine Morrissey, who outlined her experience in the pharmaceutical industry, and construction sector worker Keith McGrory.
The Dublin City representatives did not hear from the independent hopeful who is leading the local authority-nomination race.
Entrepreneur Gareth Sheridan had initially been listed as one of the eligible candidates due to speak, but Mr McAdam said he had withdrawn from Monday evening’s meeting.
Mr Sheridan had earlier secured a nomination from Kerry County Council, having addressed that local authority last week.
The Council had also expected to hear from mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor during the proceedings but he withdrew from the race entirely on Monday morning.
McGregor said he had been “sincere and genuine” about his intentions to contest the election and said he had been “truly humbled” by the “support and encouragement” he had received.
Earlier this year, McGregor lost his appeal against a civil jury’s finding in favour of Dublin woman Nikita Hand, who accused him of rape.
