Gareth Sheridan's presidential nomination is by no means certain
next presidency is inaugurated
, the rustling in the political undergrowth is becoming louder.
On Sunday, businessman
Gareth Sheridan
, chief executive of a US-based pharma company, broke cover to tell the Sunday Independent that he would run as an independent candidate, seeking a nomination from local authorities to get on the ballot paper.
His spokesman told The Irish Times that the candidate was confident that he would get the endorsement of at least four councils, after months lobbying councillors.
But Sheridan's path to the nomination will require the co-operation of opponents and potential opponents – and that is by no means certain.
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Fine Gael has its own candidate
in
Mairead McGuinness
and it is questionable that the party's councillors would be permitted to facilitate the entry of a challenger to the race.
The party may decide that it should open up the nominations process to outsiders. But it may also take the view: why on earth would we do that? It's not how elections work. You vote for your side. We'll vote for our side.
The picture with Fianna Fáil is less clear, as that party has yet to decide whether it will run a candidate – that depends on discussions within the party, and especially with its leader
Micheál Martin
, in the coming weeks. If Fianna Fáil does not run a candidate, that may free up its councillors to facilitate the nomination of other candidates, including Sheridan.
A party source said that there had not any substantive discussions on the issue within the party but added that councillors could not facilitate anyone who was hostile to the party.
Sheridan's campaign has at least identified its path to a nomination and his spokesman insists he has been working quietly in the background for months. Other potential candidates featured in the Sunday newspapers today appear less advanced in their preparations.
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'If I can help the people of Ireland in an ambassadorial role as president, then I would be honoured to.' Photograph: Brian Lawless/ PA
The former Riverdance star
Michael Flatley
continues to tease about his ambitions. He told the Sunday Independent magazine that he and his 'team of inside advisers' were considering his options.
'I have spent the last 30 years promoting Ireland globally. After my last cancer journey, I realised that life is short and I need to do more – more with my family and more for the country that I love. If I can help the people of Ireland in an ambassadorial role as president, then I would be honoured to,' he said.
However, the newspaper was also told not to take this as confirmation that Flatley is running.
The Sunday Times reported variously on the ambitions of RTÉ daytime television presenter
Dáithí Ó Sé
– he will not be contesting on this occasion, alas, but maybe in the future – and the MMA fighter
Conor McGregor
.
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The Irish presidency is a moral role much more than a political one
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Conor McGregor in the White House in Washington, DC, on St Patrick's Day this year. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/ EPA/ Bloomberg via Getty
McGregor, the paper reports, is seriously considering a legal challenge to the eligibility requirements for entry to the presidential campaign. It is not clear how serious this is. The eligibility requirements for the presidency are stated explicitly in the Constitution, not in statute law.
The paper also reports that the entrepreneur and erstwhile scourge of EU treaties
Declan Ganley
is manoeuvring for a nomination. Ganley has been talking to Oireachtas members about nominating him but there is no sign – yet, anyway – that he has the 20 supporters he needs. As with others, going the local authority route would require the tacit co-operation of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.
And anyway, as the Sunday Times wonders, what about Ganley's day job? His company is planning to launch hundreds of satellites next year. Satellites, of course, are hard to get off the ground. Ditto presidential campaigns.
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BUSINESSMAN GARETH SHERIDAN is seeking to become the youngest-ever Irish presidential candidate during this year's election, and claims to have secured support to make that possible. Much of the Irish public were introduced to 35-year-old Sheridan for the first time this week as a millionaire, pharmaceutical tycoon who recently returned to Ireland having spent the last seven years building up his company in the US. But how, exactly, did he earn his millions? And what does his company do? Acquisitions and mergers Nurtiband, a US-based healthcare-led company valued at approximately $80m, was started by Sheridan in 2012, during his final year at DIT in Dublin, where he was studying businesses and management. Taking inspiration from a transdermal patch his father had for a heart condition, Sheridan wrote his undergraduate thesis on providing properly-dosed medicine to patients through more accessible means, like patches, which are less likely to abuse. 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Nutriband has now focused wholly on opioids through transdermal patches – similar to products used for nicotine-replacement therapy. Opioids, a type of pain-relief medication, have proven to be addictive among some patients. While they are an effective method to treat chronic pain, doctors – particularly in the US – have been reluctant to prescribe the medicines. Image posted by Sheridan in 2023 after his company was listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York. Gareth Sheridan Gareth Sheridan As a result, more people have sought to purchase opioids illegally, and the black market drugs trade responded by introducing potent or synthetic alternatives over the last decade. The most-famous of these in the US is fentanyl, currently. Sheridan said that the most-important of Nutriband's acquisitions was the purchase of 4P Therapeutics in 2018, a company from two pharma veterans who created AVERSA technology , which prevents the misuse of opioids. It is today his lead product. During one acquisition, Nutriband pulled out of purchasing the manufacturer of transdermal patches . It was subsequently reported that a lawyer representing the firm did not disclose their ownership position in both companies. Asked about this on RTÉ Radio One yesterday, Sheridan explained that it was the only time that his firm had faced any trouble with US authorities and that, for Nutriband, it was seen as a minor issue and required the firm to correct submitted paperwork. Advertisement Unique selling point Sheridan has said he wants Nutriband to benefit those who are ill, developing patches that provide patients with a safe dose of medicines that are commonly abused – primarily opioids – targeting those who are in need of the controversial medicines. If abused, the drugs can cause long-term health complications, impact organ health and – in the case of synthetic and potent alternatives especially – minor doses can result in death. We're up and running! Excited to have announced my intention to seek a nomination for the upcoming Presidential election. I look forward to setting out my values and vision for the Presidency over the coming days and continuing to engage with Councillors across the country. — Gareth Sheridan (@GPSheridan1) August 11, 2025 Sheridan's business case is that there are still many people, in the US particularly, who need these pain medicines for proper health-related reasons. He believes the managed doses from his firm's patches is a unique selling point and a prevention of abuse and addiction. He said that there's been an increase of American patients being told to use over-the-counter pain medication for illnesses, and claims his patches could be a safer and more appropriate option. Pharmaceutical patches Sheridan in April said acquisitions and mergers were 'the strategy' for the company. 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