Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch to run in Dublin Central by-election

Eva Osborne

Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch has plans to be on the ballot paper for a Dáil seat this May.

The Monk has confirmed he will run in the Dublin Central by-election to fill the seat left empty by former Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe.

He confirmed his plans while at a press event to promote 'The Monk' - a play about his life - at the Ambassador Theatre in Dublin on Wednesday.

The 62 year-old, who was acquitted of the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel, missed out on a seat in the general election in 2024.

He was narrowly beaten when running as an independent candidate, receiving over 3,000 first preference votes.

Political editor of the Irish Daily Mail, Craig Hughes, said Hutch winning the by-election cannot be ruled out entirely.

Speaking on Newstalk, he said: "While he is still a long shot, I don't think he can be ruled out entirely.

"Even if he got to 30 per cent of first-perference votes, he would still have a challenge if he wasn't picking up transfers elsewhere."

The by-election is due to be held on May 22nd.