THE CRITERIA FOR becoming a presidential candidate in Ireland is fairly straightforward: one must be an Irish citizen over the age of 35, and must obtain the nominations of either four local authorities, or twenty members of the Oireachtas. 

MMA fighter Conor McGregor has made his intention to run for the Áras clear, but it has been seen as incredibly unlikely that the controversial figure will manage to make it as far as the ballot. 

A survey conducted by Sky News has seen 134 members of the Oireachtas – which is made up of 174 TDs in the Dáil and 60 senators in the Seanad (234 members total) – say that they will not be nominating McGregor. 

All members were asked, but only 134 responded – all saying no.

McGregor has announced that he plans to run on an anti-immigration platform. His visit to the White House on St Patrick’s Day saw him voice his views on immigration in Ireland and tell American media that the Irish government has “abandoned” the voices of the people of the country. 

U.S President Donald Trump with Irish MMA fighter Conor McGregor for St. Patricks day, at the Oval Office of the White House. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Speaking to Sky News, politicians from an array of parties said that they would not be supporting McGregor’s bid.

Labour TD Duncan Smith said, “I could not think of anyone more unfit for public office”, while Fine Gael senator Garret Ahearn similarly said, “I genuinely would struggle to think of anyone worse to hold that position.”

Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne took a more diplomatic approach.”There is no evidence Mr McGregor has the necessary skillset for the role,” Byrne said.

His party colleague TD Cathal Crowe said “there isn’t a snowball’s chance” and that “he made a show of himself in Washington DC”.

Fine Gael TD Maeve O’Connell said that McGregor’s “divisive behaviour and rhetoric would be completely unsuitable for such a role”.

Yesterday, the Irish Times published a similar surveying of councillors in Ireland to determine the likelihood that McGregor may go the council route to secure his candidacy. 

Of the 949 members of local authorities, 188 responded to the survey (roughly 20%). All but one said definitively that they would not be backing McGregor. Fianna Fáil’s Dónal Gilroy, who sits on Sligo County Council, said he would “listen to his arguments and decide then”.

In November, McGregor was found liable by a jury of the sexual assault of Dublin woman Nikita Hand in a hotel in 2018. He is currently appealing this judgement. In Florida, he faces another civil case, accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a basketball game in 2023. His legal team has said that this allegation is false. 

Despite the volume of conversation surrounding McGregor’s stated ambitions, some have speculated that he has no interest in taking up the office of President. The office is one of ceremony, and one term is a seven-year stint – a long-term commitment. 

The election must take place before November.