Independent presidential hopeful Nick Delehanty, a critic of multiculturalism and public spending on international protection, claims he has backing to go before between six and 10 local authorities to lobby members for his nomination.
He committed to learning Irish as part of a “viral” social media campaign if he became president as he launched his election bid on Tuesday at an indoor golf venue in Dublin accompanied by traditional music and an Irish dancer.
The former solicitor in asset management and investment funds, who now runs his own dog day care business, has been involved in political campaigns for two years.
He conceded he may be best known for unsuccessful local and general election runs last year and campaign posters that vowed to “make crime illegal”.
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He also said he “didn’t have a clue really” for the local elections, but he finished ahead of former Fine Gael TD Kate O’Connell in Dublin Bay South before being eliminated in the general election count.
“I don’t have a political machine or party behind me, but what I have is something different,” he said.
“I have grassroots support the length and breadth of the country, and I’ve earned that support because of my analysis of government budgets, policy documents and I’ve just kept people informed as best I can.”
Mr Delehanty said he had been in contact with local authorities over the country and was confident “there is a pathway” for him to get on the ballot paper.
He said he had a proposer and a seconder at between six and 10 councils, which would give him the opportunity to make his case before them.
“We are at the mercy of the councils, obviously, but also the bigger parties,” he said. “I will say this: if we get on the ballot, I won’t come last.”
Mr Delehanty posts social media videos that criticise or interrogate state spending on international protection accommodation.
He said the system was “making millionaires” out of people who should not be getting government contracts in the first place.
Mr Delehanty has previously praised policies against multiculturalism in Denmark, where there is a ban on public face-coverings and is mandatory education on Christian and Danish values for immigrant families.
“It’s good to have an Irish culture and celebrate Irish culture and be proud to be Irish,” he said. “I call myself a Danish social democrat, and what they’ve done is taken a strict line on that. I think it’s definitely a good thing to at least talk about and maybe follow.”
Mr Delehanty recently appeared in an online discussion hosted by Gavin Lowbridge, an anti-immigration campaigner who has explicitly said the current debate “is about race”.
He defended his decision, saying: “If you go on to The Pat Kenny Show, it doesn’t mean that you agree with everything Pat Kenny does.”
Mr Delehanty also said: “I don’t think it’s about race. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, I don’t think it’s about race.”
He has claimed “official Ireland” was refusing to publish crime statistics by ethnicity, nationality and immigration status and he has criticised “woke” politics.
Mr Delehanty is critical of NGOs, most specifically the Irish Penal Reform Trust, of which President Michael D Higgins is an honorary patron.
He said he had raised around €28,000 for his campaign through online crowdfunding over the last month, with average donations of €45 to €50.
Mr Delehanty grew up on a pig farm on Co Tipperary before attending Clongowes Wood College private school in Co Kildare. He said his mother came from Fianna Fáil stock and his father was a Fine Gael supporter.
He is married and has a 10-month-old boy called Nico, who was at the campaign launch wearing an Ireland jersey with “Delehanty” on the back.
