Veteran broadcaster Gay Byrne has left open the possibility of running for the presidency but added it would require considerable public persuasion for him to do so.
In his second public comment on the matter in as many days, the 77-year-old told RTÉ Radio he was surprised to hear he had topped a poll of presidential election candidates conducted by radio station 4FM, even though his name wasn’t among the four put forward.
“My name wasn’t even mentioned but the results of the poll showed I was favourite over the other four. I had 46 per cent approval rating and the next nearest one was about 16 per cent,” he said today. “I am flattered, it is a huge compliment.”
Asked if this level of public support would prompt him to enter the race, he replied: “If somebody can convince me that the mass of the Irish people are clamouring for Gay to be president, I would have to listen to the clamour.”
However, he also suggested he would have little appetite for some tasks required to collect the necessary support to enter the race.
“At my time of life, do I need to get on a bus and travel the roads of Ireland asking people to vote for me? At my time of life do I need to be auditioned by county councillors on whether I am fit or not? I don’t think so.”
He said the role entailed a “a huge disruption to someone’s life” and that “until somebody can convince me that there is some significance in what is going on, I tend to walk away from it”.
Mr Byrne added be believed there was a view among the people that David Norris was dumped out the presidential race "through underhanded means".
“They are not quite sure how, they are not quite sure why, they are not quite sure who, but that is what they feel.”
He added this feeling meant the public “have no time for the political parties” at the moment.
Mr Byrne also moved to quash a suggestion his age could be a barrier to him entering the race. After celebrating his birthday yesterday, he described himself as a “young 77-year-old”.