American-based entrepreneur Peter Casey has announced his candidacy for the Presidency.
Mr Casey is third businessman from Dragons’ Den to seek a nomination to stand in the election which takes place on October 26th.
Sean Gallagher, who stood in 2011, and Gavin Duffy have already declared their intentions to seek a nomination.
Mr Casey’s entry into the race means there are now 11 candidates seeking a nomination from county councils to stand against the incumbent President Michael D Higgins.
Mr Casey is originally from Derry. He set up a business in 1995 in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the founder and executive chairman of Claddagh Resources, a global recruitment business.
Prior to the last general election, Mr Casey claimed he would contest the Donegal constituency as an Independent candidate. He contested the subsequent Seanad election unsuccessfully.
Mr Casey told RTÉ's Today with Miriam show this morning that the Taoiseach deserves to be paid more than the President.
“It’s bonkers that the Taoiseach earns 50 per cent less than the president,” he said.
When asked what he thought his chances were of gaining a nomination, he said: “If I didn’t think I would get on the ballot I wouldn’t have gone at all.”
He said he wanted to activate the diaspora to benefit and promote Ireland and introduce a ‘Birth Right’ programme to encourage the Irish abroad to send their children home to Ireland for four weeks to go to the gaeltacht.
“Get them to understand Ireland, to drink the Irish Kool-Aid,” he said.
“In Australia they encourage young people after college to go walk about, to travel, and they all come back. In Ireland they walk off and they don’t come back.”
He said he was very aware of the limited powers of the office of president, but said he felt there was nothing to stop the president from suggesting the setting up of movements.
Mr Casey also said he was passionate about education. “This is the land of saints and scholars. We should get Irish students to spend a semester abroad, to experience living abroad.”
When asked why he was not campaigning on the issue of homelessness, he said that while it was an important issue, it was one for the Taoiseach to resolve. “I would be very supportive, but it is not for the President to get involved.”
Mr Casey said he had some unique ideas, passion and energy and understood the essence of being Irish. Having “gone out in the world” he said he really appreciated being Irish.
He said he had not spoken to his fellow ‘Dragons’ Gavin Duffy and Sean Gallagher since he announced his decision to campaign for the nomination.
He did not know if he was any more qualified or better than the other candidates, but he felt he brought “other things to the table”.
If he did not win, he said he would still have highlighted the issues about which he felt strongly, which included the salary of the President. “With all the expenses the President doesn’t need a salary at all.”
