Council receives nine requests for support from individuals in Aras race while Byrne says FF should run candidate

Meath County Council has had nine requests to date from individuals seeking the Council's support. Pending the signing of the Presidential Order, Meath County Council will hold a Special Council Meeting on Monday, 22 September 2025, to consider any requests received.

The names of those seeking support of the council members have not been revealed.

Meath East Fianna Fail TD, Thomas Byrne, says that if Fianna Fáil runs a candidate in the presidential election, that person will have to show how they can bridge the gap between the party's support in the last general election, and the 50 per cent plus one needed to win the Áras.

Speaking on RTE Radio's 'Morning Ireland' this week, the Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence said that he thought that in principle, Fianna Fáil should run a candidate, “but we have to be very clear that we have a person who not only is a good candidate, but can also win the presidency, and be a good president”.

“The situation is that Fianna Fáil's support was in the low 20s percentage. We have to have a candidate who is going to get the 50 per cent plus one after transfers, and that is a high threshold to cross. It is essential that whoever we run has the prospect of winning and getting more than double the Fianna Fáil support at the last general election, in order to win that election.

“This is going to have to be a candidate who has a broad reach across the country, and not just somebody who can get the Fianna Fáil vote, it needs to be significantly more than that.”

Mr Byrne said that any candidate coming to him – and he had spoken to a number already – needs to be able to tell me how they are going to bridge that gap.

Reacting to reports that the party was now considering former Dublin Gaelic football team manager, Jim Gavin, and that the leadership had no interest in a Bertie Ahern nomination, Mr Byrne said that the Taoiseach had made it clear on a number of occasions over the summer that there would be clarity on the Fianna Fáil position at the end of August, and that that was going to happen.

He said that, number one, the party would decide if it was going to run a candidate, and number two, who that candidate should be.

Meanwhile, Minister Byrne's constituency colleague, the Fine Gael deputy leader, Helen McEntee, is supporting former minister Heather Humphreys in her bid to be the party's nomination to contest the presidential election, against SEan Kelly MEP

Ms McEntee, the Minister for Education, said: "I’ve worked with her for many, many years and I believe she would make an excellent president representing people right across this country.

"I believe we are very fortunate to have two people of such high calibre willing to put their name forward in the first instance," Ms McEntee said. Ms Humphreys deputised for Ms McEntee as Minister for Justice when she was on maternity leave.