Independent candidate Seán Gallagher came under regular attack from his presidency rivals over his past links with Fianna Fail and the construction industry in the latest televised debate on TG4 tonight.
All seven candidates took part in the pre-recorded debate which was screened by the Irish-language broadcaster.
Mr Gallagher, whose support levels have surged in recent opinion polls, was the focus of most critical comment from other contenders.
The Labour candidate Michael D Higgins, who is seen as Mr Gallagher's main rival, referred to Mr Gallagher's involvement with the construction sector during the boom years.
In a pointed comment directed at Mr Gallagher he said that there was a "speculative economy that Seán might favour and a social economy that I might favour."
Independent candidate David Norris drew attention to Mr Gallagher's Fianna Fail past, saying Mr Gallagher was a member of the party's national executive until earlier this year.
"It seems extraordinary that he only attended two or three meetings when 430,000 people were unemployed," he said.
In a similar vein, Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness also portrayed Mr Gallagher as part of the "establishment that ran Ireland into the ground".
The comments were part of similar but separate strategies by other candidates to highlight Mr Gallagher's links with Fianna Fail and the construction industry in the years before the crash.
For his part, Mr Gallagher defended his past associations with Fianna Fail and the home-cabling company smart homes. He said he made no apology for being an entrepreneur for a decade and also asserted he was a social and community worker before becoming involved in business.
Only one of the seven, Mr Higgins, is fluent in Irish. The format of the debate had each of the candidates read a short-prepared statement in Irish. The debate, chaired by current affairs presenter Páidí Ó Lionáird, was conducted mostly in English, with Mr Higgins speaking in Irish.
However, Mr Higgins, normally comfortable in Irish, seemed nervous, with Mr Norris, Mr McGuinness and Mr Gallagher looking the most relaxed.
There was an incident at the beginning of the recording in the early afternoon when Fine Gael candidate Gay Mitchell removed his microphone and walked out of the studio in what seemed like a protest. It emerged that he had not been aware that the Irish script was to be delivered wide.
Mr Mitchell was more subdued than in recent debates. He emphasised that he would be an independent president if elected, although "congruent" with the Coalition government.
He also emphasised his political and international experience, as did Mr Higgins and Mr McGuinness.
Mr Higgins spoke of his presidency providing the opportunity to define a new definition of Irishness. In one unusual departure, Mr Gallagher suggested the possibility of exploring a revision of the national anthem, Amhrán na bhFiann.
That was immediately challenged by Mr McGuinness who said its words should
be retained.
The other independent candidate, Mary Davis, strongly challenged Mr Norris's assertion that he was the only "24 carat independent candidate" while Dana Rosemary Scallon said she had no regrets about entering the race notwithstanding the personalised nature of the coverage.
"I never regret whatever the cost of speaking out what I know has to be said. There's There's always a price," she said.
Mr Norris also disclosed that he had "totally cleaned out" his savings to run in the election. "I'm not making a poor mouth out of it," he said.
Ms Davis also disclosed that she would serve only one term if elected and said she was determined to serve out the full term.
