The focus of the presidential campaign has returned to independent Seán Gallagher with his opponents again criticising his membership of the Fianna Fáil national executive and his business dealings.
According to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll Mr Gallagher has doubled his share of the vote since the last Irish Times poll less than three weeks ago and he now has 40 per cent support, 15 percentage points ahead of Labour Party candidate Michael D Higgins.
The final televised debate of the campaign is currently taking place on RTÉ's Frontline programme.
Speaking during a Newstalk/Google debate earlier today, Mr McGuinness said he had no doubt about Mr Gallagher’s close links to Fianna Fáil, a party which had brought the country to its knees.
“I do think that there is no doubt whatsoever that Seán has been up to his neck in Fianna Fáil,” Mr McGuinness said.
“It is not a crime for Seán to be involved with Fianna Fáil. But Fianna Fáil is the party that ran the economy into the ground. Fianna Fáil was the party that was involved in the brown envelope culture the Galway tent and involved in betraying the people of Ireland.”
Mr McGuinness also said voters must decide whether they want a representative of an establishment party elected to the Áras.
“People can decide to continue with the same old, same old, or they can vote for someone who represents a break from the past and someone who looks to new beginnings and who wants to stand by the ordinary people of Ireland at this very difficult time.”
During the debate, the questions for which were contributed to an online forum by members of the public, Mr McGuinness said he was disappointed people from Northern Ireland would not be permitted to vote.
“As someone who absolutely believes that people from Derry, Down, Antrim, Armagh are as Irish as Cork or Kerry or Dublin I think that part of the constitution needs to be changed,” he said.
After the debate, Mr McGuinness confirmed he was not entitled to vote in the presidential election.
Mr Higgins also attacked Mr Gallagher’s connection with Fianna Fáil today, saying it was up to the public to look at different backgrounds and manifestos and warned that he believed about a fifth of voters remain undecided.
“I’ve no doubt at all in my mind that all the candidates are people who love Ireland in their own way. The issue is about who has a track record of turning vision into practical reality,” the Labour candidate said.
“Every single thing I did, from being a councillor right to a TD to a minister, was turned into a reality. That’s why I have such a solid core of voters.” Mr Higgins said transfers from every source will be hugely important and he will secure them from all quarters.
The Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll found 21 per cent of those polled were undecided.
Party leader and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said the gap between Mr Higgins and Mr Gallagher could be bridged between now and Thursday and that the Labour candidate was the best person for the role.
"If people switch their vote the gap can be bridged between now and Thursday. Michael D Higgins has the political experience to do the constitutional role - remember that the last two presidents were constitutional lawyers.
“Nobody in this election has the track record of Michael D Higgins in relation to inclusion and working for people who have been at a disadvantage. He is a president we can be proud of," he said.
He denied Mr Higgins had been making a point about Mr Gallagher's business dealings yesterday when he said he respected entrepreneurship "as long as it was ethical."
"No the point being made was if you look at what’s happened to the Irish economy over the last few years and you look at the collapse that has happened, the one thing that was missing from entrepreneurship and some sections of the Irish economy during the Celtic tiger years was a lack of ethics.
“Michael D Higgins was one of the few people who questioned what was happening during those years. He has conducted a positive campaign from the very beginning and was just reminding people of his track record," he said.