SINN Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has not ruled out a run for the Irish presidency.
This is a notable change from her position earlier this year when she said definitively, "It won't be me."
Speaking to journalists outside the Four Courts on Monday, McDonald said: “We are not ruling anything in or anything out.”
She confirmed that a party-wide consultation process on the presidential race has concluded and that the report is now on her desk.
"We have to do a bit more work," she said. "I think over the next number of weeks, probably the end of July and into August, we will have a clearer picture of what we are doing."
The shift in McDonald’s position has reignited speculation about her potential candidacy, especially following her frustration at not becoming Taoiseach after last year’s general election.
The presidential election is due to take place before 11 November, as President Michael D. Higgins nears the end of his second and final term.
Sinn Féin is also exploring the possibility of putting forward a joint candidate supported by parties across the Opposition and the political left.
However, McDonald cautioned that discussions with other parties have yet to yield a clear consensus. “We don't have clarity on this. It’s a moving picture,” she said.
Sinn Féin vice president and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill has similarly left the door open, laughing off questions about her own intentions last month but confirming the party is still “working through” its options.
Meanwhile, rival party Fine Gael officially opened its nomination process this week, becoming the first party to begin formal preparations for the election.
Interested candidates must secure the support of 20 parliamentary party members, 25 councillors, and five executive council members by the 15 July deadline.
The party has said it will not formally unveil its candidate until early September.
Fianna Fáil, for its part, has indicated that it will not make a decision on its approach until late August.
In addition to potential candidates from within major parties, Colum Eastwood—MP for Foyle and former SDLP leader—has publicly acknowledged that he is considering a run after being approached by supporters.
Though Eastwood had been associated with Fianna Fáil in recent years, party leader Micheál Martin said he was surprised by the news of Eastwood’s interest.
The process of nominating a presidential candidate is complex.
To enter the race, a person must be an Irish citizen over 35 years of age and receive the nomination of 20 Oireachtas members or four local authorities.
In another twist, Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly has officially ruled himself out of the race.
Kelly, a former president of the GAA and current MEP for Ireland South, had recently shown interest in running as Fine Gael’s candidate.
However, speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, he confirmed that he will not be pursuing the nomination.
Kelly described the decision as a difficult one, admitting he was “disappointed in some respects,” given the rarity of such an opportunity.
“I asked myself one question. I said, ‘Am I happy with what I'm doing at the moment?’ And I said, “I am,” he explained, referencing playwright John B. Keane’s words that “a day out of Kerry is a day wasted.”
His withdrawal now leaves the door open for other potential Fine Gael contenders, with former EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness seen as a likely frontrunner for the party’s nomination.
Notably no Irish citizens living in Britain or Northern Ireland will be able to vote in the Irish presidential election in November because of existing rules.
