Irish broadcasting legend Gay Byrne has launched an incredibly bitter attack on Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness – and branded him a liar.

Broadcaster Gay Byrne has slammed the Irish media and blamed a ‘News of the World’ mentality for his decision not to contest the President election.

The Late Late run for the Presidency is over – Gay Byrne is officially out of the race to succeed Mary McAleese.

Ever since Senator Norris’s campaign was shot down in flames, the Irish presidential race has descended into a farce.

Gay Byrne will not run for President of Ireland and will formally withdraw from the race to succeed Mary McAleese on Wednesday.

High ranking Fianna Fail members have welcomed Gay Byrne’s astonishing attack on the European Union and believe it will help him win the Presidential election.

Gay Byrne has topped the latest opinion poll on the Presidential election – but he still trails former candidate David Norris by a distance in the popularity stakes.

In the latest Paddy Power presidential poll Irish TV and radio legend Gay Byrne has come out on top with 28 percent of the vote. However it seems that our readers on IrishCentral do not agree.
 
According to the Irish poll 28 percent would vote for Byrne despite the fact that he has not decided whether he will run or not. Next in line are Michael D Higgins, Brian Crowley and Gay Mitchell but it seems that Byrne, the 77-year-old celebrity known affectionately as ‘Uncle Gaybo’, would almost definitely win if he decides to enter the race.
 
The feedback we received on Facebook wasn’t quite so positive.
 
“Byrne Spare us, we have suffered enough. This elderly talk show host needs to go away!!!! What he is actually doing here is trying to recoup the losses he made gambling on the stock exchange and find himself a comfy retirement home!!!!” said Brian Shane.
 
Babsy Ryan asked that Ireland “give some YOUNG blood a chance” and said that “95% of Irish Politicians are over 40. They ain’t giving the youth a chance”.
 
Another poster described him as a “self opinionated pensioner” and another asked if Ireland was “really THAT stupid???”
 
So far just one reader, Marcella Mullen, sees the positive in Byrne running as a presidential candidate. She said “Ya why not ? he wouldnt just sell us out like Dev did and hes a wise man with a fair head on his shoulders. Go Gabo and show them just what your made of.(sic)”
 
Byrne is expected to announce if he’ll be in the running this Sunday. What the polls will read next week will be very interesting.

Broadcaster and journalist Olivia O’Leary has refused point blank to run against her former colleague Gay Byrne in the Presidential election.

Potential Presidential candidate Gay Byrne has caused his first political storm – after claiming that Ireland is being run by ‘mad people in Brussels’.

The Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has offered veteran broadcaster Gay Byrne the party’s support in the Presidential election – if he decides to run.

Gay Byrne is set to be grilled on his Presidential credentials by the man who replaced him on legendary Irish TV show The Late Late – Pat Kenny.

The Irish people want another Gay as President – the veteran broadcaster Gay Byrne.

Fianna Fail has failed with a desperate plea to broadcasting legend Gay Byrne to run as a candidate on its behalf in the forthcoming Presidential Election.