FORMER KERRY TD Jackie Healy-Rae has today ruled out running for the presidency.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie this morning Healy-Rae said that after spending so long working as TD “up there” in Dublin he wanted to “stay a free man and stay out of it”.
He had first been mentioned as a possible candidate back in April when he told Radio Kerry that he was considering it, pointing out that never in his life had he lost an election.
The fact that he spoke to Radio Kerry on April Fool’s Day led some to believe that Healy-Rae was joking but he insisted that it was no joke.
However today he said “no, no, no, no way” when asked about the possibility of joining the race for the Áras.
Healy-Rae stepped down as a TD for Kerry South at the last election. His seat was taken by his son Michael Healy-Rae.
Asked which candidate he would be backing for the Autumn election, he said that he wasn’t sure yet but added that he was disappointed that former GAA president and Fine Gael MEP Sean Kelly had decided not to run:
He’d do a good job there. I was really disappointed to see he wasn’t running.
Asked about the controversy surrounding independent candidate David Norris whose old media interviews have forced him to clarify his views on everything from pederasty to the age of consent, Healy-Rae said he hadn’t got an opinion on the matter.
He added that he hadn’t “a clue” which candidate he would back: “I haven’t even thought about it.”
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