In the race for Irish President David Norris is the candidate to beat

He is typical of the last couple of presidents. They have absolutely no interest Irish affairs,but use the office of president to promote themselves on the world stage. Another elitist with a maudlin almost anti Irish persona.

You bring up the writers orientation and claim that by merely writing this story he is somehow "bludgeoning you." Which make you sound like a bit of a drama queen, CasualMBA. Do you feel assaulted every time you have contemplate gay people? Have you talked to anyone about that? I think perhaps you should. It's the textbook definition of homophobia.

SeaumMor:: Wouldn't it be a good idea to know something about a topic before spreading your ignorance worldwide? Norris is not a South African. He's an Irishman. He was born in the Congo. That's not the same as South Africa, you dope.

Conor O'Brien would be the best choice for Ireland because as Chief of the largest Irish Clan he will be best for tourism. 700,000 O'Briens will answer his call to come to Ireland for commemorations of the millennium of the Battle of Clontarf and death of Brian Boru in 2014. Dublin City Lord Mayor Gerry Breen, himself a descendant of Brian Boru,is part of the planning for the Clontarf 2014 Festival. It would be great to tie all this together with the the Chief of the O'Briens presiding as President.

There have been many serious questions raised about Norris views of different issues. These have not been answered.

LoyalCitizen: If by "dead language" you mean Irish Gaelic, what you write is ignorant bigotry and nonsense, since the language has many thousands of speakers. I'm one, and I'm not dead. You're not one, and you're brain dead.

why oh why is the media pushing him; he's effectively the media-designated choice for president. No squeaky-voiced gremlin sounding guy representing ire please. Can he campaign for the tax rate abroad like McAleese did successfully? And sounds very gentry to boot. Of course he's the favourite, the other runner and riders have not declared yet ha ha.

The ability to learn a dead language does not make you a candidate for a president. Being gay does not make you a candidate to be president. Norris has exploited a weak elite voting system to get him self into Seanad Eireann. Norris is the self promoting product of a corrupt system and will do ten times more harm than anybody else.

olovely...if, by "soft bigotry" you mean I have a heterosexual preference, you are correct...Not that it affects the good Senator's credentials for the job, or lack thereof...And your tone is ______?

To facilitate georgyboys foreign policy here in Ireland.We should demonstrate the high regard us Irish have for the office and deny Senator Norris his application.He is after all from South Africa and a bore.

A new day - a new Republic!!!!!!!!!!

Norris is a good Church of Ireland man. I'd vote for him.

Must you bore us all with your condescending tone and your soft bigotry casualMBA?

Cahir, Really, must you beat us with your sexual preference bludgeon again? "Polls show him ahead..." Really? And which polls would they be? The Castro district? "...and bookmakers currently have him favorite..." Now that's a Star of Bethlehem if I ever saw one...If I were to place the first bet for, say, Gabrial Byrne, talented actor and avowed atheist, would that not make him, just then, the "bookmakers favorite," shining light that it is, for the Presidency of Ireland? Really, Cahir, your statistical basis of the poll position for Ireland's Presidency could use a bit of sorting out, could it not?

David Norris would make a terrific president. I wish him the best of luck.