FERGUS FINLAY had a mixed day yesterday – while listeners to RTÉ Radio’s Liveline were picking him as their favourite prospective President of Ireland ahead of the October 2011 elections, his car was being broken into.

In the apparent absence of any newsworthy topic worth discussing on yesterday’s programme, Liveline gave users a prospective list of ten presidential candidates and asked users to vote by text to eliminate candidates until there were just two left.

Early eliminated candidates included Bertie Ahern, Mary O’Rourke, and John Bruton. Even David Norris, considered a popular independent choice for Ireland’s highest office, failed to make it past fifth place.

Ultimately, of the final two candidates, Finlay won a head-to-head vote of support against Emily O’Reilly – but evidently didn’t have much reason to celebrate afterward, with his car being broken into while the poll was ongoing.

The ironic break-in was revealed by Liveline host Joe Duffy on his Twitter account earlier this morning.

The Liveline top ten:

1. Fergus Finlay, CEO, Bernardo’s; columnist and occasional broadcaster
2. Emily O’Reilly, Ombudsman and Information Commissioner and former jouralist
3. Feargal Quinn, Senator; businessman and founder of Superquinn supermarkets
4. Michael D Higgins, former Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht
5. David Norris, Senator
6. Adi Roche, Chernobyl charity worker and 1997 Presidential candidate
7. Brian Crowley, MEP and former co-president of UEN parliamentary group in European Parliament
8. John Bruton, former Taoiseach and EU ambassador to the United States
9. Mary O’Rourke, TD and former Minister at Departments of Health, Education and Public Enterprise
10. Bertie Ahern, former Taoiseach