I do not think McGregor is fit to be president of Ireland, Minister says

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

Conor McGregor would not be fit to be president of Ireland, a Minister has said.

Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien compared MMA fighter McGregor (37) to outgoing President Michael D Higgins, who is a former arts minister and sociology lecturer.

Mr O’Brien said McGregor was free to challenge the process to get on the presidential ballot paper but that the Constitution was “clear”.

He was responding to comments from McGregor to The Sunday Times where he said he is considering a legal challenge to the eligibility rules for the presidential elections.

To become a candidate, a person must be nominated by either 20 members of the Irish parliament or four local authorities.

They also must be an Irish citizen who is 35 or older.

An election for the largely ceremonial role is expected towards the end of October, as it must take place in the 60 days before outgoing President Higgins’ term ends on November 11th.

So far, two candidates have secured sufficient nominations to get on the ballot: former farming journalist and EU commissioner Mairead McGuinness, who is the Fine Gael nominee; and Catherine Connolly, a left-wing independent and former Galway mayor who has received the backing of opposition parties and independents.

Several figures have said they intend to seek the nominations needed to get on the ballot, including Riverdance star Michael Flatley, millionaire entrepreneur Gareth Sheridan, and previous presidential candidate Peter Casey, as well as McGregor.

Asked about McGregor’s intention to legally challenge process to be nominated as a presidential candidate, Mr O’Brien said he was within his right to take a case but did not believe he would be nominated.

“Like any citizen, he’s entitled to take a case should he wish, but the constitution is clear on that, the nomination process is clear,” the Fianna Fáil TD said.

“I don’t envisage he’ll be nominated to run for president. But look, I think it’s open to any citizen to take a challenge, should they wish.

“The office of Uachtaran na hÉireann is the highest office in the land.

“It’s a critically important office. If you look at the work that Michael D Higgins has done over the last 14 years and representing our country abroad with such distinction, I would just ask people to draw the comparison to what our president has done, and what someone like Conor McGregor might do.

“So I don’t think he would be fit to hold that office.”

Last month, McGregor has lost his appeal against a civil jury’s finding in favour of Dublin woman Nikita Hand, who accused him of rape.

Ms Hand (35) successfully sued McGregor in a civil court over an incident in which he was alleged to have “brutally raped and battered” her in a penthouse at a south Dublin hotel in December 2018.

Ms Hand was awarded almost €250,000 in damages and McGregor was also ordered to pay about €1.3 million in legal costs following the November trial.