Fianna Fáil senator and founder of Lir chocolates Mary White has announced that she intends seeking her party's nomination to contest the next presidential election in 2011.
Ms White told The Irish Timesyesterday that while the election was some time away she knew from experience that it took a lot of hard graft to become a party candidate, and that any election took a long time to win.
"I know I would be a good candidate and a very good President," said Ms White, who is now in her second term as a senator.
If elected to the position she will be the third woman President in a row named Mary.
The 63-year-old senator pointed out that during her period in the Seanad she had focused on drawing up policies to deal with the issues of childcare, the problems faced by older peoples and suicide prevention.
"The Celtic Tiger has fostered an aggressive culture. People's success is being judged by how much money they have made. I want to focus on developing a more caring society by looking at the problems faced by younger and older people.
"I want us to retain our Irish courtesy and welcome for people with an emphasis on our gentle and compassionate side rather than on aggression and individualism. I started out in business in the 1980s, during an economic depression, in an effort to create jobs and hope."
She said the President, Mary McAleese, had made the theme of her presidency the building of bridges in the North.
"I would like to focus on the creation of a more caring society that looked after the vulnerable people who currently feel left out."
She said that her husband, businessman and former IDA chief Padraic White, was fully behind her bid for the nomination.
In the Seanad yesterday, Ms White, who is Fianna Fáil spokeswoman on older people and childcare in the Seanad, said in the US Republican candidate John McCain could be elected leader of the free world yet in Ireland he would be disqualified from jury service on age grounds.
She urged the Government to come forward with legislation to implement its commitment in the Programme for Government "that those reaching retirement age should be allowed to retire if they wish, but those who would prefer to stay at work should be facilitated in doing so".
