Former TD for Cavan-Monaghan Heather Humphreys and MEP Seán Kelly have both confirmed they will seek the Fine Gael nomination to contest the Presidential Election.
Speaking on the Joe Finnegan Show on Northern Sound, Ms Humphreys said she has "decided to go for it", having originally ruled herself out of the race three months ago.
It follows the shock announcement by Mairéad McGuinness last week that she would now not run for Fine Gael due to health reasons.
Ms Humphreys ruled out a bid for the Aras back at the end of May following a period of time considering the prospect of putting her name in the hat for the job.
She announced last October that she would leave politics to enjoy her retirement and spend more time with her family and friends but she has always been linked to a bid at the presidential race even when she was a minister prior to quitting political life. Now after a number of days of uncertainty, the local woman has decided to put her name forward for the top job.
Ms Humphreys said she was "a bit burnt out" last August when she announced she would not run in the general election. She said she had been a cabinet minister at that point for ten years, and her tank was "probably running on empty".
The former Cavan Monaghan TD says the "tank is full again" and she is ready for the "challenge". Speaking on the Joe Finnegan show this morning, she confirmed the bid. “I'm very conscious it was the people of Cavan and Monaghan who put their trust in me and supported me down through the years, and I felt it was only right that I come on here this morning and tell them first. So I have decided to go for it, and I will be seeking the Fine Gael nomination for the president of Ireland.”
Heather Humphreys says she wants to be a president to represent a modern Ireland. Ms Humphreys said she wants to be a president who represents "a modern and an outward looking Ireland with pride on the international stage".
She added it was important to reach out to communities, adding that she wanted to be a "president for all" of the country. “Last autumn, I knew the tank was probably running on empty, so I've been enjoying life since I retired from the job. The family are well, I'm well, I feel like I'm back to my old self. And I've said to myself more than once, you know, you could do a bit more Heather. And I was talking to someone who knows me very well at the weekend, and they said to me, Heather, you're out digging and you're working in the garden every day, your energy levels don't seem to be a problem. So really, I've had a good rest and the tank is full again."
