Never heard of them - Offaly Councillors react to surprise presidential pitch

Five potential candidates to become the next President of Ireland are seeking nominations from Offaly County Council.

The five, none of which are known to the councillors, are seeking to make a presentation to the County Councillors in the chamber.

''I never heard of any of them, not one, nor no one in the room,'' said the Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council, John Leahy.

''We said we will deal with it in September. At the moment if someone requests a hearing we have to listen to them. But there are two trains of thought, one is that they come and are given a 15 minute slot to make their presentation and we decide as a council whether we will support them or not.

The next option is they won't be allowed to give their presentation without a proposer and a seconder. Some feel that is a better way of doing it.

''Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein all look as if they will be putting someone forward so those members are not going to support anyone else,'' said Cllr Leahy.

With the council set to revisit the issue in September, the door remains slightly ajar, but whether any of the five unfamiliar names can make it through remains doubtful. As party loyalties tighten and time ticks toward the nomination deadline. Offaly's role in shaping the presidential race may hinge less on presentations and more on politics.

In a recent interview on RTE with Brendan O'Connor, dancer Michael Flatley didn't rule out running for the presidency. Mr Flatley said he has been promoting Ireland for a long number of years on the international stage. 

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Fine Gael has confirmed Mairead McGuinness as the party's sole nominee. She was selected unopposed. She will be ratified at a party event in September. Meanwhile Fianna Fail still haven't nominated anyone. Catherine Connolly TD has announced she is running and has the backing of the Social Democrats and other independents.