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LAST UPDATE | 8 Sep 2025
DURING A BRIEF break inside Kerry County Hall a bemused council official turned to this reporter over coffee and custard creams and said: “not quite X Factor is it?”.
Twelve prospective candidates made their way to Tralee today for the process of seeking a presidential nomination from the local county council.
As part of the nomination process the Áras hopefuls can either get 20 members of the Oireachtas to nominate them or four county councils – Kerry was the first to host a meeting.
Like Dancing with the Stars, minus the dancing and the stars, the councillors heard from each candidate who had 15 minutes to make their case to the council to be selected as the nominee.
They were a disparate crew of hopefuls – from a barrister/architect, to an electrical contractor, a former Lord Mayor of Cork, wealthy business people, academics, a tour organiser, a doggie day care business owner, an acupuncturist and an animal rights activist.
The names were Gareth Sheridan, Maria Steen, William P. Allen, Nick Delehanty, Charlotte Keenan, Dr Donncha MacGabhann, Cllr Kieran McCarthy, Lorna McCormack, Keith McGrory, Walter Ryan-Purcell, Dr Cora Stack, Sarah Louise Mulligan and Gerben Uunk.
It was all very polite and reserved. The candidates arrived for allotted times to give their pitch.
Regardless of the wouldbe candidates’ positivity in their hopes and dreams for the Áras, councillors were not sounding too happy with the contestants from moment one.
Councillor Jackie Healy Rae, of the Kilgarvan Healy Rae dynasty, spoke to The Journal as he arrived and bemoaned in the strongest of terms that only two candidates had contacted him before the meeting.
“Out of the 14 candidates coming before us today, only two of them have made contact before today [Gareth Sheridan and Nick Delehanty].
“Regarding the rest of the twelve I find it disrespectful that they can come here today, give a five minute presentation that will be enough as councillors to pave the way for them to be on the ballot.
“It just shows there’s a lack of seriousness around the presidency, that I don’t like,” he said.
His views were echoed by other councillors as they arrived.
Also, the other issue haunting the candidates, was that Fine Gael had directed its councillors not to vote. Cllr Michael Foley, Cathaoirleach of the council confirmed that he and his colleagues would adhere to that directive.
Regardless of that, the candidates soldiered on, and took to the stand – like participants in a I’m a Presidential Candidate Get Me Out of Here challenge.
First up was County Cork electrical contractor William P Allen who said he had always wanted to be President since seeing a guard of honour for former Uachtárain Patrick Hillery as a boy.
The rest of them were not as much in the boyhood dream motivation category – it was all big picture, and surprisingly lots of Government policy, as they repeatedly mentioned housing and cost of living. Whether or not it was Election Campaigns for Dummies, or a genuine capturing of the required buzzwords for the electorate, almost all claimed they would advocate for people to get homes.
In fact, one of the well dressed rich business men, Donegal man Keith McGrory, said he would not just be President but would also be a “housing tzar”.
Former Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Kieran McCarthy, a noted historian in his home city, found it a struggle to arrive. He told us that he had an issue with the train from Cork city and ended up getting a motorbike.
Entrepreneur Gareth Sheridan, standing close to six foot seven in height, spoke in a calm, well measured voice. At all times sticking rigidly to his talking points – almost like pulling a chord on a doll but on this occasion saying: “I want to give young people a voice”.
Nick Delehanty, a big hit on social media and former election candidate, also made his case. The former lawyer quoting liberally and fluidly from the constitution and declaring that he wants the Irish Government to succeed.
Then there was Walter Ryan Purcell who runs a tour company in Killarney – he has also run in a number of elections but has never succeeded in winning the prize. He said that he had emailed the Israeli Government and offered to broker peace between Hamas and the Netanyahu regime. Alas Walter didn’t get an answer to his offer of intermediary and the genocide continues.
Dutch man and Animal Rights activist, Gerben Uunk, who moved to Ireland because he loved River Dance, said he wanted to become a President who was a conjugate between the Government and Animal Rescue groups.
Maria Steen, a well known campaigner, has previously championed issues like a no vote in the abortion and marriage referendums but had better success on the family and care plebiscites. The mother of five, who is also an architect and barrister, spoke of the importance of family in Irish life.
When asked by a councillor regarding her thoughts on Conor McGregor and his supposed candidacy for the big job she said: “I’ve experienced a lot of judgment in my own life from my role in speaking out about certain unpopular issues, and I don’t want to be casting judgment on other people”.
The speed electioneering was going so well that the council was an hour ahead of schedule and to fill the space they ended up paying tribute to retiring official and civil servant Christy O’Connor.
There was plenty of moments of levity. In the midst of the tributes for Christy there was jovial shouts from the Healy Rae section of the hall towards Fine Gael Councillors. Johnny and Jackie both shouted at their whipped Fine Gael colleagues: “at least we can say what we want”.
Cora Stack, an academic and mathematician brought a detailed powerpoint with her – the only candidate who produced a slide show. She caused the council chamber to descend into cheers as she declared “up Kerry”, mentioned she had babysat for a well known family in the county, and told another councillor, who was asking her probing questions, that she was “a great woman”.
At one point in her address, she thanked Jackie Healy Rae for his help which caused the Councillor to throw a packet of custard creams on the bench in front of him and declare: “she didn’t talk to me”.
The last prospective candidate burst in to the chamber slightly out of breath. Sarah Louise Mulligan said she had run from the train station but the lactic acid from her sprint did not hinder her going on a diatribe claiming there was a crisis of foreign men killing and raping Irish women without any proof and stated “Because I like Donald Trump, the Irish Dáil won’t give me a seat”.
A number of councillors rounded on her for her views and criticised far right attacks on them through online portals.
Regardless of that the day was a jovial affair – plenty of laughing and joking – with the councillors spending a lot of their time engaged in highly accomplished banter fuelled by a supply of sandwiches and custard creams.
We’ve a delay here as we’re waiting for one last hopeful. So I took the chance to chat to Cllr Jackie Healy Rae who had some choice words about some of the candidates earlier. He reveals who the council is likely to nominate. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/UZ2nLmC8Xn
— Niall O’Connor (@NiallJournal_ie) September 8, 2025
To complete the circle, in a hallway outside the chamber Jackie Healy Rae, spoke to The Journal and revealed the candidate who he and his independent colleagues would nominate.
He stood by his earlier views and said a lot of the candidates were not fit to stand in the Presidential election.
“A local authority election would be more suited for them,” he said.
“There is one candidate I would give serious consideration to over the next week, a lot of my independent colleagues and I will be having discussions – I have no bother saying that will be Gareth Sheridan.”
That was echoed by a number of other councillors we spoke to as they left.
Kerry County Council will return on Monday and will give their say on who will get the nomination – hopefully the custard creams will be as plentiful.
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