Thirteen presidential hopefuls seek nomination from Mayo County Council

Thirteen potential presidential candidates have written to Mayo County Council requesting a nomination from the local authority for the Presidential Election.

Polling Day for the forthcoming Presidential Election has been set for Friday, October 24, 2025 with Independent Galway TD Catherine Connolly and former Fine Gael TD Heather Humphreys the only two confirmed candidates to date to seek to succeed Michael D Higgins as President of Ireland.

Former Dublin GAA football manager, Jim Galvin is the favourite to be the Fianna Fáil candidate with Sinn Féin yet to indicate if they will run a candidate.

A candidate for the Office of President of Ireland may also be nominated by four County or City Councils and to date 13 individuals have written to Mayo County Council seeking a nomination from Mayo County Council .

They include Tipperary-based solicitor Nick Delehanty and Gareth Sheridan, the founder and CEO of US-based Nutriband Inc as well as Sarah Louise Mulligan, who previously sought a nomination from Mayo County Council in 2018.

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The September monthly meeting of Mayo County Council which is due to take place on Monday is set to consider written requests from persons who have requested a nomination from Mayo County Council and to consider whether to nominate candidates for election.

In a letter circulated to councillors in advance of Monday's meeting, they were informed that the Corporate Policy group of Mayo County Council met on July 7 and the members recommended that all candidates seeking a nomination would submit their request in writing together with a supporting submission.

“If the Council decides to nominate a candidate, this can be done by adopting an appropriate Resolution as per item 9 on the agenda. If such a Resolution is adopted, a Nomination Form will be completed and submitted to the Presidential Returning Officer on behalf of the Council,” stated Martina Hughes, Meetings Administrator with Mayo County Council in the letter.

She added: “As it is possible that there will be more persons expressing an interest in seeking a nomination from Mayo County Council for the Presidential Election, it is proposed to also give them an opportunity to submit their details for consideration up to the date of the Council meeting.”

The latest time for receipt of nominations by the Presidential Returning Officer is September 24.

The other people to seek a nomination from Mayo County Council are Meath-based sustainability advocate, social care worker and community leader, Lorna McCormack; Laois-based doctor Joseph Chikelue Obi; Waterford-based builder Keith McGrory; Charlotte Keenan, a farmer, artist and sports psychologist living in Westmeath; Dominic Plant from Wicklow who works in IT; Paudie O Duinnin from Macroom, Co Cork; Dr Cora Stack, a Lecturer in Mathematics at Technological University of Dublin; Retired art teacher, Donncha MacGabhann, from Limerick; Walter Ryan-Purcell, who ran for Independent Ireland in the Cork North West constituency in the last General Election and Billy O'Connell, who is based in Cork City.

A nomination was also sought from 'BarryWheely-Row' who is an alter-ego of a Kerry writer named Stephen Murphy who told Kerry FM that he was 'trying to bring the craic and joy back into politics'.