What next for the defeated presidential candidates?

John O'Keeffe gives his views to the Irish Indpendent...

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The defeated presidential candidates have been paying tribute to Michael D Higgins, who will be the next president of Ireland.

Dana Rosemary Scallon said it had been a great honour to be part of the election campaign and was pleased to be standing at the end of it. She wished Mr Higgins well in his work over the next seven years for the good of the country.

Seán Gallagher said the campaign had been very challenging at times. But he said Michael D Higgins had run his campaign with dignity and decorum. He said Mr Higgins will be an outstanding President.

Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness said it was a honour to stand and described it as the "experience of a lifetime". He was very proud that 250,000 people voted for him.

He said Mr Higgins has "great intellectual capacity" and a "huge heart" and would make a very fine President. He urged the new President to continue the work of President and Martin McAleese in building bridges in the North.

David Norris said Mr Higgins would be a great President. He described him as a poet, visionary, academic and scholar who was passionately committed to justice and human rights.

Mr Norris said the President-elect was the only "political millionaire" in the country because he had got over a million votes.

All of the defeated candidates thanked their families and supporters for their efforts, and recorded their appreciation for the work of the Presidential Returning Officer, Ríona Ní Fhlanghaile.

A spokesperson for Mary Davis said that she congratulated Michael D Higgins yesterday and spent today with her family.

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The forgotten referenda - TalentBase legal expert John O'Keeffe explains the key issues to TV3's Ireland AM viewers...

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The issue of whether businessman Hugh Morgan handed a cheque for €5,000 to Independent Presidential candidate Seán Gallagher has provoked claim and counter-claims today.

READ THE RTE NEWS WRAP HERE

TG4 are holding screen tests for those interested in becoming TV presenters. 

Training in a range of presenting styles will be provided for selected candidates.

Training will also be provided in script writing, interview techniques and dress and make-up skills. 

Dublin 26/10/11 Galway 2/11/11 Killarney 5/11/11 

Fluent Irish a requirement. 

More info - www.tg4.ie/ie/production/tg4-presenters.html 

A RECORDING of a decade-old controversial conversation between Presidential candidate David Norris and journalist Helen Lucy Burke was played today on Irish radio.

The tape confirms that Mr Norris made a number of comments about the age of consent attributed to him in an article by the journalist originally printed in Magill magazine.

Mr Norris had called on Ms Burke to release the recording, which was played today on RTE’s Liveline.

Responding to the recording, Mr Norris said there was nothing new in it and he had already dealt with it.

Meanwhile, Mr Norris has said he does not accept Sean Gallagher’s claims to be an independent candidate on the back of a number of articles linking him to Fianna Fail.

Speaking this afternoon while canvassing in Cork, Mr Norris said he wanted to be a watchdog President who would put the welfare of the people first.

Mr Norris also said it was appropriate for Sinn Fein candidate Martin McGuinness to be questioned about the killing of Detective Garda Gerry McCabe.  

Mr McGuinness, meanwhile, has again justified his former membership of the IRA and said he unreservedly condemned any attacks on the gardaí. He also claimed he had received backing from individuals who had suffered during the Troubles.

READ MORE - THE IRISH INDEPENDENT

David Norris says he is the only true '24 carat' independent in the presidential election.

Mr Norris said he was the only Independent candidate who had never been a member of a political party, been appointed to a State board, or had his campaigns backed by those with vested interests.

He said the people had to choose whether to give the Presidency to someone connected with the large parties, or to a true Independent.

Meanwhile, a Sinn Féin councillor in Waterford has said there is a hate campaign going on against Martin McGuinness.

READ IT HERE - RTE NEWS

Fine Gael Presidential candidate Gay Mitchell has rejected the findings of the latest opinion poll on the election, saying he does not believe any poll that shows such a wide fluctuation.

Mr Mitchell said 40% of people decided their voting intention in the last general election in the last seven days and Fine Gael will turn out the vote leading to a very different picture on Thursday week.

Former European Parliament president Pat Cox, who competed against Mr Mitchell for the Fine Gael nomination, joined him on his canvass this morning.

Mr Mitchell said that shows the solidarity that is within the party.

The Red C poll in today's Sunday Business Post shows Mr Mitchell dropped two points to 8%.

Independent candidate Seán Gallagher saw his support increase by 18 points since the last Red C poll nine days ago and is now on 39%.

Michael D Higgins is on 27% an increase of two points.

However, all the other candidates have lost support with Martin McGuinness down three to 13%, David Norris down seven to 7%, Mary Davis down five to 4% and Dana Rosemary Scallon down 3 to 2%.

Meanwhile, Labour's presidential candidate Michael D Higgins has described as "crude" any talk of him being too old to be president.

He said any suggestions that the difference between the two front runners in the latest opinion poll was related to the age-groups to which they were appealing would be to get it entirely wrong.

He said he has been winning support from youth groups all over the country, and the previous Red C polls indicated that the biggest significant gains he was making was among young people.

He said the real issue was the significant differences between himself and Seán Gallagher.

He said their differences were that he was bringing essential requirements to the presidency, including a knowledge of how the constitution works; that he was a Cabinet minister; that he was president of the council of culture ministers; and that he spent time in a ministry that created thousands of jobs in the film industry.

READ HERE - RTE LATEST

READ HERE - IRISH TIMES LATEST

Independent candidate Sean Gallagher has moved into a substantial lead in the presidential race, according to a new poll.

The Red C poll, published in The Sunday Business Post, shows Gallagher in a 12% lead over his nearest rival, jumping 18% since the previous Red C poll nine days ago.

Gallagher garnered 39% support in the poll, with his nearest rival, Labour candidate, Michael D Higgins sitting on 27%.

Martin McGuinness is down three points to 13%, Gay Mitchell is down two points to 8%, David Norris is down seven to 7%, Mary Davis has lost five points to 4% and Dana Rosemary Scallon is down three points.

TalentBase, meanwhile, is to handle media relations for one of the candidates in the presidential election.

Marty Morrissey reports from the World Boxing Championships in Azerbijan... as three Irish boxers fight in the quarter-finals...

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The Irish Elite squad are due to arrive home from the 16th AIBA World Championships and Olympic qualifiers in Baku, Azerbaijan via Dublin Airport at 5.20pm this afternoon (Sunday, October 9th).  

The 16th AIBA World Championships concluded with finals in all ten weight categories yesterday.  

The Ukraine won four gold medals to finish on top of the medals and rankings table. The Ukraine, Cuba, Azerbaijan, Russia and Brazil, in that order, finished in the top five positions in the medals table. The Ukraine, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Russia and China, in that order, finished in the top five positions in the Tean Rankings table. 

Ireland finished in 13th position in the Team Rankings table at the 113-nation tournament and in joint 14th spot in the medals table with Germany, USA, India, Belarus, Lithuania, Romania, Monglia and Tajikistan. 

English southpaw Luke Campbell, who edged out John Joe Nevin on a count back in Friday's bantamweight semi-final, was beaten 14-10 by Cuba's Lazaro Alvarez-Estrada in yesterday's 56Kg final. 

Welsh flyweight Andrew Selby,  a 25-24 victor over Ireland's Michael Conlan in the quarter-finals, lost out 13-12 to Misha Aloyan in the 52Kg decider. 

Nevin, Conlan and Darren O'Neill qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games in Baku. 

Irish Referee and Judge (R&J) Michael Gallagher was presented with the best R&J award at the 16th AIBA World Championships.