Why I'm standing

Guth na nDaoine - For the common good

I am honoured to announce that I have secured the support of my colleagues to run for the office of Uachtarán na hÉireann, the Presidency of Ireland.

This was not a decision I came to lightly. It took time—time to reflect, to listen, and to ask myself where I might serve best. What ultimately guided me was the support and encouragement I received from people all across the country—from every background, every walk of life. Your words, your hope, and your belief in a more compassionate Ireland gave me the clarity I needed. It is because of you that I stand here today.

We are living in troubled times. War and displacement have become constants in many parts of the world. Inequality deepens. The planet strains under our extractive habits. And at home, people are tired—tired of being unheard, unseen, uncertain. Tired of promises broken, of a social fabric fraying.

And yet, I have never believed more in the spirit of this country.

I have seen it in every corner of Ireland, from the housing rights campaigners in Galway to the community food growers in Carlow, from teachers in Donegal to carers in Dublin. I have heard it in the music and poetry of our people, in the deep tradition of solidarity that continues to beat beneath the noise. I have felt it in the quiet dignity of those who simply keep going.

As a barrister, I have acted for different sides. As a clinical psychologist, I have listened to people’s pain. As an independent TD and as Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I have worked to bring dignity and respect to public life—to hold the centre in times of deep political division.

I did not enter public life for power or profile. I did so because I believe politics should be rooted in service. That belief remains at the heart of my campaign.

The Presidency, we are told, is largely symbolic. But symbols matter. And actions taken under those symbols matter even more.

I believe the President should be a unifying presence—a steady hand, yes, but also a spark. A reminder of what is possible. A moral compass in a world increasingly driven by profit and spectacle. A voice for those too often silenced. That is the role I seek to play.

I want to be a President who listens. Who travels to every county, not to perform, but to hear. Who brings the Presidency back into the heart of our daily lives.

I want to be a President who speaks for peace, not just abroad, but at home - in how we treat one another, in how we care for the most vulnerable, in how we make space for disagreement without division.

I believe in neutrality. Not as absence, but as action - an active, living tradition of peace-making, bridge-building, and compassionate diplomacy. It is one of Ireland’s greatest strengths, and I will defend it with clarity and conviction.

I believe in the Irish language, not only as a link to our past, but as a way of seeing the world that centres interdependence, nuance, and beauty. 

I believe in a simpler truth: that high office should not be about high status, but about high responsibility. And with that responsibility must come humility.

In the coming weeks and months, I will be on the road. In your towns, your parishes, your libraries and halls. I want to begin a real conversation—not just about what Ireland is, but about what it could be. A country not driven by fear, but by hope. Not shaped by division, but by shared dreams.

The Presidency is not the solution to all our challenges. But it can be a light. A centre of calm. A place where the values of this nation are guarded and renewed.

So I ask for your support. Your vote. Your trust.

Together, let us show what Ireland is truly made of.

Let us choose peace. Let us choose each other. Let us begin.

Go raibh maith agaibh go léir.