Campaigner O’Doherty plans to run for the Áras
THE Presidential election took another unexpected turn last night as journalist Gemma O’Doherty announced she is seeking a nomination.
Ms O’Doherty is well known for her campaigns on behalf of the families of missing people and her criticism of Garda inaction.
She is a former Irish Independent journalist who sued that newspaper after she said she was unfairly selected for redundancy following her visit to former Garda commissioner Martin Callinan’s home.
She has come to prominence in recent years for involving herself in high-profile unsolved criminal cases such as the disappearance decades ago of Donegal child Mary Boyle, the death of Fr Niall Molloy in a couple’s bedroom, and the murder of French woman Sophie Toscan du Plantier in Cork.
Ms O’Doherty has more than 21,500 followers on Twitter but may be unknown to most voters.
On declaring her candidacy last night, Ms O’Doherty wrote: ‘As an Irishwoman who loves her country to its core but hardly recognises it any more, I am deeply concerned about the unimaginable suffering and chaos so many of our people are subjected to daily.
‘In my work as an investigative journalist, I have witnessed firsthand the despicable treatment of citizens who have stood up and tried to fight for their basic rights. The right to truth and justice for their murdered loved ones. Their right to a proper police force that protects and serves them. Their right to decent healthcare and affordable housing.’
She called for ‘a different way of doing things,’ and an end to the corruption she claims has infested public life.
‘We owe it to ourselves, to our children, to our country’s reputation, and to our forebearers who had a very different vision for this beautiful island that is our home,’ she said in a tweeted link.
Two women – the other being Senator Joan Freeman – are now declared candidates, although they have yet to secure the backing of four local authorities in order to make the ballot.
Sinn Féin is likely to provide a third female candidate, with many expecting MEP Liadh Ní Riada to be the nominee to challenge President Michael D Higgins.
‘Suffering and chaos’