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Clare independent in presidential bid

This article is from page 5 of the 2011-05-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 5 JPG

‘HONEST’ Tom Steele never stood for political office, content instead to nominate Daniel O’Connell for office ahead of his famous 1828 election victory, but a man hailing from Steele’s Terrace in Ennis has launched a bid to succeed Mary McAleese as president of Ireland.

Dermot Mulqueen heralded his Áras an Uachtarán ambitions this week as he set about getting his name on the ballot paper to contest the October election to become the country’s eighth president.

“My first objective is to secure a nomination,” Mr Mulqueen said in launching his campaign to become Clare’s third president after Eamon de Valera and Dr Patrick Hillery.

“The British and Irish states have taken away my good name. The Irish city and county councillors can give it back by allowing me to contest the Irish presidential election as in independent candidate,” he added.

Mr Mulqueen’s entry into the Áras an Uachtarán race opens up the prospect of an unprecedented three candidates with Banner County creden- tials contesting the presidency.

Michael D Higgins, who was born in Newmarket-on-Fergus, is seeking the Labour Party nomination, while Pat Cox, the former Progressive Democrats Munster MP and TD whose family links are in Shannon is emerging as favourite to be the Fine Gael nominee.

To get his name on the ballot paper, Mr Mulqueen must secure the back

ing of 20 members

of the Oireachtas

or at least four city

or county councils

around the country.

As an independent,

his hopes of secur

ing the nomination to

contest what’s shap

ing up to be the larg

est presidential field

in history rests with

receiving support

from local government.

Key to his chance will be the backing of Clare County Council that sits less than 300 yards away from his home on Steele’s Terrace. Clare has a tradition of backing independents to contest the election – giving Derek Nally their imprimatur to take part in the 1990 election and also backed Dana Rosemary Scallan’s presidential bid in 1997.

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