Gareth Sheridan fails to get a Presidential nomination from Offaly County Council

Businessman Gareth Sheridan has failed to secure a nomination to enter the presidential race by Offaly County Council, bringing his Presidential bid to an end.

After listening to Mr Sheridan's presentation to the Council, the Councillors were asked to vote on the matter. Cllr Liam Quinn of Fine Gael group said the Fine Gael group would only be backing their own candidate, Heather Humphreys, and no one else.

Cllr John Leahy, Cathaoirleach, said there would be two proposals. The first proposal they'd be voting on would be a counter-proposal, stating that the County Council would not nominate any candidate for the Presidential election. The second proposal would be to nominate Gareth Sheridan. The counter-proposal was voted on first.

11 of the 19 Councillors voted for the counter-proposal; 5 voted against; two abstained and one of the councillors was absent. This decided the matter and there was no need to vote on the Proposal. Cllr Frank Moran, Fianna Fáil, was the only Fianna Fáil Councillor to vote against the counter-proposal; Cllr Claire Murray Sinn Féin abstained.

Earlier in the day Mr Sheridan's nomination had also been narrowly turned down by Meath County Council during which fourteen members of the council voted against a proposal to nominate the candidate, with 13 backing the proposal. There were five abstentions and eight absentees in Meath.

Mr Sheridan already had two of four required nominations through local authorities to formally enter the contest, having previously secured nods from Kerry and Tipperary county councils.

The 36-year-old millionaire entrepreneur was among several hopefuls pitching to Meath County Council on Monday morning. He was the only hopeful to pitch to Offaly County Council.

Following his Offaly and Meath disappointments his planned trip to Louth County Council later in the evening became null and void.

At the Offaly meeting Cathaoirleach Cllr John Leahy, Independent, welcomed the candidate, his wife and his team. He said the only Cllr not present was Cllr Fergus McDonnell, who was recovering from a fall. He said it was “regrettable” that Mr Sheridan had lost the Meath County Council vote by only one vote earlier in the day. “I proposed and Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick (Independent) seconded that you could address us today. You were one of 23 people to write to us.”

Mr Sheridan said the Offaly vote was a very important vote for him. “I announced my intention to run for President during the Tullamore Show in August. Thank you Councillors for your time today. The reason we are here today is because of John Hearne, the legal adviser to the Department of External Affairs, who drafted Bunreacht na hÉireann in 1937. John Hearne was very conscious of the importance of empowering local authorities. He believed choosing who should be allowed to run for the Presidency should go beyond the Oireachtas and out into the local authorities.” He said Offaly was a wonderful county but it often wore the underdog tag, “as I do myself in this particular instance.” He said he's 36 years of age and is very conscious that his generation, in terms of housing, is worse off than his parents' generation. “I have well qualified friends in good jobs who are still living in shoeboxes in their parents' homes.”

Mr Sheridan remarked that his youth shouldn't be held against him. “Putting my name forward shouldn't be interpreted as an act of audacious, youthful arrogance. It's anything but. My intent is serious and meaningful.”

Mr Sheridan is originally from Terenure and is a multi-millionaire. He was the founder of Nutriband, a pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing abuse-deterrent transdermal drug delivery systems, with a primary focus on the Aversa Technology designed to reduce the abuse potential of opioids like fentanyl. “This company is doing very well and I am very proud of it. However, I am also very proud of Ireland and by leaving the running of my business to one side and putting my name forward for the Presidency I am aiming to be a voice for all Irish people, especially the young people who I feel are disenfranchised and are not being listened to, in terms of the housing and cost of living crises. The chronic housing shortage was declared a national emergency almost a decade ago. Tens of thousands of Irish people have been forced to leave our shores. 103,000 Irish-born people are living in Australia. Our healthcare system is also facing huge challenges.”

He pointed out that he's very aware of the challenges facing Offaly, including the decarbonisation programme and its associated loss of jobs.

He said the President might have no executive powers but he plays a very important influential role.

He also quoted Article 45, 2, 1 of the Constitution which states that citizens have a right to a sufficient livelihood through their occupations to meet their domestic needs.

In a short Questions and Answers session two of the Sinn Féin Councillors asked Mr Sheridan his position on Irish Unity. He said that he would like to see a united Ireland during the next Presidential term. They also asked him his position on the Gaza crisis. He said it's a genocidal war and a “historical disgrace” which is “weaponising food and water.”

Cllr John Leahy asked him if he spoke Irish. “I have been taking lessons,” replied Mr Sheridan.

When the Counter-proposal was voted on and Mr Sheridan's nomination was rejected, Cllr Leahy said this was unfortunately the “end of the road” for Mr Sheridan. “I hold you in huge admiration for putting your name forward. However, I do think that the conversation about how we conduct our Presidential elections will continue to be held. Many people think it's wrong that the strongest political parties can band together to block potential nominees from outside the strongest political blocks.”

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