NEW YORK BOSTON |#Popular: Irish Celebrity Gossip Irish in US Politics Irish Festivals Irish Roots Irish Entertainment Offbeat Irish

Home Page > The Irish Voice > Gallagher now looks certain to be Irish president after weekend polls - POLL

Gallagher now looks certain to be Irish president after weekend polls - POLL

Political newcomer set to cause major upset as election looms

CATHAL DERVAN,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Friday, November 11, 2011, 4:47 PM

Updated Friday, November 11, 2011, 4:47 PM

Larger Text

E-mail

18 Comments

Independent Presidential Candidate Seán Gallagher

Photo by Tony Kinlan

IrishCentral.com Poll

Live coverage of the Irish presidential election on IrishCentral - Friday, October 28th

The Irish Presidential election is Sean Gallagher’s to lose as the Independent candidate with strong Fianna Fail connections looks all set for the job.

Reality TV show judge Gallagher has now topped three opinion polls in the space of 24 hours and enjoys a healthy lead in each of them over nearest rival Michael D Higgins.

The latest poll, published on Monday morning in the Irish Times, shows that Gallagher has doubled his vote since the paper last gauged public support three weeks ago.

He is also well clear of Labor Party candidate Michael D Higgins in the latest Irish Times /Ipsos MRBI poll.

All other candidates have lost support in the Irish Times poll with Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness now a distant third.

Senator David Norris and Gay Mitchell have also seen their support go South while the two female candidates – Mary Davis and Dana Rosemary Scallon – are now joint last.

----------------------

Irish pubs in crisis as one in eight have now closed down

Top ten locations for that perfect Irish wedding

----------------------

The poll was taken late last week amongst a representative sample of 1,000 voters at 100 sampling points across all 43 constituencies when 21 per cent of those polled said they were still undecided as to who they will vote for on Thursday.

After the 21 per cent unknowns were removed, Gallagher enjoyed 40 per cent support, up a whopping 20 points from the last Irish Times poll.

Veteran Galwegian academic Higgins was up just two percentage points to 25 per cent, a full 15 per cent behind frontrunner Gallagher.

Support for McGuinness fell four per cent to 15 per cent in the wake of various controversies over his links with the IRA.

Independent candidate Norris was down three points to eight per cent with Fine Gael’s Mitchell also down three to just six per cent support.

Mary Davis dropped nine points to three per cent. Dana, down three points, also now stands at just three per cent support.

Reacting to the latest poll results, Irish deputy Prime Minister and Labor Party leader Eamon Gilmore claimed Higgins can close the gap on Gallagher.

“If people switch their vote the gap can be bridged between now and Thursday,” said Gilmore. “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.”

1 2 Next page >

Nster.com

E-mail

18 Comments

See all comments

Gearoid4 | Oct 25, 2011, 05:17 PM EDT

@Towney, Thanks for your answer. The document "Laudbiliter" which an English pope, Adrian 1V supposedly drew up to give the "green light" to an English monarch, Henry 11 to take over Ireland and bring it to heel for the Vatican, has been contested by historians. A number of experts of Medieval history believe that the document is a fake or was deliberately distorted by Henry. You use the word "negotiated" to describe the treaty discussions which ended in the unnatural partition of Ireland. But the more realistic term would be coercion with the explicit threat of Britain turning Ireland into an armed camp if it was not excepted. The make-up of the Border Commission was loaded against the single Irish diplomat on it, Eoin McNeil. Also the inhabitants of Ireland effected by it were not allowed to vote on a decision made over their heads. You are right insofar as the land border is still with us and we cannot just simply wish it away. But this does not mean that practical steps cannot be taken to make it such an anachronism or irrelevancy, that it will fade over the expanse of time. Even if the candidacy of Martin McGuinness does not win out in the battle for the presidency, the raising of the profile of the Irish citizens of the northern part of Ireland separated from the rest, will only erode further the complacency and distorted propaganda of the doctrinaire free staters.

Report abuse

gobdawpaddy | Oct 25, 2011, 06:48 AM EDT

The headline on this article might seem a little presumptuous this morning (tuesday). Sean didn't have such a good night after damaging revelations regarding his association with the 'toxic' fianna fail.

Report abuse

Towngate | Oct 25, 2011, 04:33 AM EDT

Gearoid4: Thanks for that. You forgot the original 'English interference' was at the behest of the Vatican, and also at the specific request of an Irish king! ~ ~ ~ Your: "The British done this in 1922" - is curious as that must refer to the negotiated Treaty agreed by BOTH sides to the division of the country. ~ It takes a big bite and a hard swallow, I know, but that division of Ireland took place because the population of that northern region wanted it - as they still do today! I agree about the unnatural border and all that, but your assertion that the term Northern Ireland was invented to give credence to some territorial foothold, is ridiculous (I prefer 'North-east Ulster', myself.) Anyway, Geroid4, we are where we are - mired in blood and rancour and are likely to stay this way for some time to come. It amused me that those who bleat on about a 'United Ireland' are usually the ones from the Region who Dis-united it in the first place! - Peace!

Report abuse

Gearoid4 | Oct 24, 2011, 10:54 PM EDT

@Towney, If it took English(later British) interference in Irish affairs from 1169 to bring about the realization to her native inhabitants of the Island that they constituted a nation, so be it. Manifestations of an Irish identity exhibited itself at various stages in Ireland's history from the resistance of local tribal chieftains to invading Normans through the resistance of the Ulster Chieftains to English Tudor domination right down to the insurgencies of the 19th and 20th centuries. Charles Parnell, the renowned leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party stated that one should not put a boundary on the march of a nation. The British done this in 1922 with a unnatural border that no-one in the effected part of Ireland was allowed to vote for/against in a plebescite. No-one prior to this era called themselves "Northern Irish" so in reality it was an invented identity to give some sort of dubious credence to the last territorial foothold that the British held in Ireland. N. Ireland at best can be described as a region of an amorphous creation called the UK or a part of somebody else's country under the jurisdiction of another.

Report abuse

MarkRichey | Oct 24, 2011, 10:35 PM EDT

Gallagher is just Fianna Fail minus Haughey's many mistresses and without hair.

Report abuse

Towngate | Oct 24, 2011, 08:36 PM EDT

johnymac60: You are seriously and gravely mistaken if you think I consider the murder or death of ANYONE is meaningless! Call me any name you like, but it will never alter the fact that Ireland only became "one nation" under British rule; and only ceased to be so when part of it broke away and wanted to form it's own Government. After many years of civil war and wide-ranging social and religious horrors, it finally relinquished it's claim to the remaining part of the Island, which still remains united with Great Britain. Having it's own Jurisdiction, it can fairly be described as a seperate country. Therefore; Martin and Dana are returning home to their own countries! (Well,OK: Dana is English by birth,then Northern Irish and now American - I think!). Slán abhaile! - May the road rise to meet them ... We all have dreams and fantasies of what we would like our beloved country to be, but typically, being Irish, our dreams and sad forlorn fantasies seem to have more meaning for us, than hard facts and cold reality... So dream on Hibernia ...('The Sleeping Land')...! Good Luck to all on Thursday.

Report abuse

NiGhabhainn | Oct 24, 2011, 06:27 PM EDT

I ve been trying to post this for a while now and it doesnt seem to appear on here for me.. I'll try again. The campaign to elect Martin McGuinness as President of Ireland are launching an online initiative to encourage Irish people living all over the world to voice their support for Martin McGuinness - the one candidate who wants to represent all Irish people not just those living in the 26 counties. The campaign are encouraging Irish people, especially those who have been recently forced to emigrate, to video themselves and/or their friends in various locations across the globe on their smart phones, offering their support to Martin McGuinness. The videos will then be posted on a wall on the Martin McGuinness campaign website - www.thepeoplespresident.ie Videos ideally should be between 15 and 20 seconds in length and emailed to yourvoice@thepeoplespresident.ie. The more weird and wonderful the location the better! This initiative is not just confined to Irish people living overseas. Videos are welcome from across Ireland as well. Home | Martin McGuinness www.thepeoplespresident.ie Join the campaign to elect Martin McGuinness President of Ireland

Report abuse

JBRAFTREE | Oct 24, 2011, 05:30 PM EDT

Polls show Martin a distant 3rd, I don't understand it, it appears that he doesn't have the popular vote. This poll, and others I've seen has him neck and neck.

Report abuse

joan1954 | Oct 24, 2011, 02:57 PM EDT

Even so, perhaps Gallagher might surprise you all, Independent well we all have been one stripe of a political party. Michael D is old style Labour, McGuinness, well given things seem to have changed, is still not really known. Perhaps change is good?

Report abuse

billie061 | Oct 24, 2011, 01:23 PM EDT

Over my dead body.

Report abuse

FallsRNat | Oct 24, 2011, 01:19 PM EDT

johnnymac60 - as PIRA was responsible for killing more catholics in NI than the BA, loyalists & RUC, I'm at a loss why you are voting for SF. You are very free & easy in comdemning other irishmen who don't agree with your view, but can you get your facts straight, maybe a £30 investment on McKitterick's book Lost Lives would be a start.

Report abuse

DublinCitizen | Oct 24, 2011, 12:35 PM EDT

As an Irish Citizen and a Dubliner, will someone please tell me what is an "West Brit". Is it an insult or someone who does not agree with SinnFein/IRA. And I believe the term "Free State" went out after it became the Irish Republic. MMcG "a man of principal"? You don't say! What are his principals? Blowing up, shooting, knee-capping and disappearing us into submission. I don't think so.!

Report abuse

johnymac60 | Oct 24, 2011, 12:00 PM EDT

@Towngate. The term 'WestBrit' is often bandied about here. You are a perfect example of the type of low-life this term refers to. 'His own country'?? You're a typical free-stater to the core. The murder of Catholics throughout the North of this ONE island nation is meaningless to you as long as "I'm all right, Jack." There certainly IS a message in the running here. An SF candidate, a man of principal - unlike the nest of thieves you have voted in for decades - has come close to winning the office of President of Ireland. It won't be another 100 years before we see an SF Taoiseach. For now, you'll have to make do with Business as Usual, enjoy.

Report abuse

numacd349 | Oct 24, 2011, 11:25 AM EDT

I think it is more likely that when the people have their say on Thursday, it will be Michael D who will be the next President of Ireland.

Report abuse

cillowen | Oct 24, 2011, 11:21 AM EDT

Fianna Fail's party member whose cunning and well scripted responses has charmed somebody. This unknown Baldy who is being pushed will reduce the prestige of the Mary's whom he follows to being a joke, beyond imagining.

Report abuse