
Joe Duffy: I am not seeking presidency
On Saturday, following increased speculation about his next steps, Duffy posted on social media: 'Thanks, but to be absolutely clear I am not seeking a nomination from any politicians, local or national, for the office of President of Ireland.
'I will not be adding anything further.'
Thanks , but to be absolutely clear I am NOT seeking a nomination from any politicians , local or national, for the office of @PresidentIRL I will not be adding anything further . @Independent_ie @IrishTimes @irishdailymail @IrishSunOnline @rtenews @irishexaminer @thejournal_ie
— JOE DUFFY (@joeliveline) July 5, 2025
While some hopefuls have declared an interest, no candidate for the presidency has been formally nominated ahead of the election.
A presidential election is expected towards the end of October, as it must take place in the 60 days before the term of current president Michael D Higgins ends on November 11.
To be eligible to run, a candidate must be an Irish citizen who is 35 or older.
They must be nominated either by at least 20 members of the Oireachtas or at least four local authorities.
Former or retiring Presidents can nominate themselves.

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Daily Record
3 hours ago
- Daily Record
Kneecap vow to 'beat Government for second time in court' at biggest ever gig
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Spectator
11 hours ago
- Spectator
Ireland will regret its planned Israeli settlements trade ban
If Ireland's foreign affairs minister expected plaudits from EU leaders for the republic's looming ban on Israeli settlement goods, he was sorely disappointed. Ireland, Simon Harris pontificated in Brussels, 'is the only country in the entire European Union that has published any legislation ever in relation to banning trade with the occupied Palestinian territories, but it's pretty lonely out there.' Frankly, this is hardly surprising when you take your country on a solo run into perilous economic and diplomatic territory. The Israeli Settlements (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025 (PIGS) will ban goods produced, or partly produced, in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It applies to every type of goods, from dates and avocados, manufactured goods, raw materials to natural resources. It is purely symbolic, representing €1.5 million (£1.29 billion) of the €4.36 billion (£3.88 billion) trade between Ireland and Israel. But the penalties are draconian, the likely diplomatic and economic fallout ignored, and no thought was given to the many Palestinians employed by Israeli settlement companies whose livelihoods may be jeopardised by this ban. Well, it is the symbolism that counts. When enacted, Irish, UK and other citizens ordinarily resident in Ireland could face a five-year jail term, a €125,000 (£107,000) fine or both should they buy a string of beads or a bottle of holy water in the old city of East Jerusalem and turn up at Dublin airport with the offending items in their backpacks. Incredibly, the Bill has extraterritorial effect – although quite how this will be enforced is anyone's guess. Its astonishing implications have never been explored. The PIGS Bill is the renamed Occupied Territories Bill published by independents in the Irish parliament in 2018. But since October 2023, multifarious radical groups have effectively hijacked the legislation and are using it as a trojan horse to dismantle the entire EU-Israel trade agreement worth €46 billion (£39.6 billion). On the streets, mainly peaceful protesters demanding an end to Israeli trade march in lockstep with extremists carrying Hezbollah flags chanting 'let's go bomb Tel Aviv' and 'burn the settlers to the ground'. And nobody bats an eyelid. Since 2018, three attorneys general have warned the government that enacting this legislation would be at 'substantial risk to the state' because it violates EU law on international trade, free movement and customs rules by imposing a trade ban unilaterally. As one seasoned political correspondent put it, there's a reason this bill has been left hanging around since 2018: 'It stank'. 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South Wales Guardian
15 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Joe Duffy: I am not seeking presidency
Duffy's name had been floated as a potential candidate for the office in a number of media reports. The Ballyfermot broadcaster, 69, retired at the end of June after 37 years at RTE Radio One and 27 years presenting Liveline. On Saturday, following increased speculation about his next steps, Duffy posted on social media: 'Thanks, but to be absolutely clear I am not seeking a nomination from any politicians, local or national, for the office of President of Ireland. 'I will not be adding anything further.' Thanks , but to be absolutely clear I am NOT seeking a nomination from any politicians , local or national, for the office of @PresidentIRL I will not be adding anything further . @Independent_ie @IrishTimes @irishdailymail @IrishSunOnline @rtenews @irishexaminer @thejournal_ie — JOE DUFFY (@joeliveline) July 5, 2025 While some hopefuls have declared an interest, no candidate for the presidency has been formally nominated ahead of the election. A presidential election is expected towards the end of October, as it must take place in the 60 days before the term of current president Michael D Higgins ends on November 11. To be eligible to run, a candidate must be an Irish citizen who is 35 or older. They must be nominated either by at least 20 members of the Oireachtas or at least four local authorities. Former or retiring Presidents can nominate themselves.