Exclusive: Tony Holohan preparing bid for Presidency
Sources close to the former chief medical officer told Extra.ie that 'plans are in progress' for him to announce his candidacy.
Contacted this weekend, Dr Holohan was coy about a potential run for Áras an Uachtaráin.
'I can neither confirm nor deny if your information is correct or incorrect,' he said in response to reports of his preparing a bid.
Pressed further, Dr Holohan said: 'I won't be saying anything at the minute,' adding that he was currently attending meetings in the UN buildings in Brussels. Tony Holohan. Pic: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie
Dr Holohan became chief medical officer in 2008 and came to prominence during the pandemic. He stepped down in 2022.
A lifelong civil servant, he appears to be acquainting himself with the inner workings of political life, with sources saying he is in 'diplomatic training'.
'If you look at his Instagram he has been posting some images outside the UN with the Irish flag, very strategically, fluttering in the background,' said one source. 'He is laying the groundwork at the minute,' they continued.
'He is familiarising himself with international diplomatic relations in places like the UN parliament and he is also upping his socialmedia game considerably.' Tony Holohan. Pic: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos
Asked about his presence at the UN and the strategically posed social-media image, Dr Holohan laughed, saying, 'I'm just over here for meetings.'
Since stepping down as CMO, he has taken up several other posts, most recently in April last year when he was awarded an adjunct professorship at Trinity College.
He also became adjunct professor at UCD in 2022, and in February last year he became director of UCD's Centre for One Health, aimed at advancing research into global health challenges.
The news comes two years after he was embroiled in a scandal over a plan to appoint him to Trinity on secondment, at the expense of the taxpayer.
In June of this year, Dr Holohan married Ciara Cronin, a mindfulness-based psychotherapist. Tony Holohan and Ciara Cronin on their wedding day. Pic: Mike Mulcaire
They began a relationship in 2023 – two-and-a-half years after the death of his first wife, Dr Emer Feely. The couple had been married for more than 20 years, until Emer died of multiple myeloma in 2021.
It is not clear who will back him in his bid for the Presidency but he has a cordial relationship with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
Fianna Fail has not clarified if it will run a candidate and is to make a decision in the early autumn. As of yet there are only two declared candidates for the election later this year.
This week MEP and EU commissioner Mairead McGuinness was announced as Fine Gael's official nominee, after former GAA president Seán Kelly dropped out. She is expected to be ratified by the party in September. Mairead McGuinness. Pic: Isopix/REX/Shutterstock
This week she said: 'I'm conscious of the opportunity and challenge ahead, given the very important constitutional role of the President, and the esteem in which the office is held by the people.
Subject to my candidacy being ratified by the party in early September, I very much look forward to setting out my vision.'
Independent TD Catherine Connolly also announced her bid for the Presidency this week, with the backing of the Social Democrats and People Before Profit. Catherine Connolly. Pic: Sam Boal/Collins Photos
The Labour Party is also expected to come on board with its support. Ms Connolly said she does not regret backing conspiracy theorist Gemma O'Doherty's Presidential bid in 2018, saying her 'judgment call was right at the time'.
Ms Doherty's campaign was beset by controversy when she suggested the State had colluded in Veronica Guerin's murder.
Asked if she regretted the nomination, Ms Connolly said: 'My judgment call was right at the time. Do I regret what's happened in relation to her? Absolutely.'
Meanwhile Sinn Féin has still to decide if it will put forward its own nominee or support an umbrella left-wing candidate.
Since party leader Mary Lou McDonald refused last week to rule herself out of the contest, speculation about her possible candidacy has grown.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Extra.ie
34 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
Jarring spike in women using cocaine as low fat alcohol alternative
Cocaine use is surging among women, with many using it as a low-fat alternative to alcohol, one of Ireland's leading rehab centres has said. The Rutland Centre rehab clinic yesterday published its 2024 annual report, warning of a 'growing national crisis' as cocaine replaces other drugs. The centre's head of clinical services, Emma Kavanagh, described how children are storing cocaine in their school lockers and said there's even an app being used to have it delivered by drones. Cocaine use is surging among women, with many using it as a low-fat alternative to alcohol, one of Ireland's leading rehab centres has said. Pic: Getty Images She also told at the report's launch: 'Young women feel like cocaine is not going to derail their weight-loss journeys or their progress in the gym. 'If they were to use alcohol, it would negatively affect those things. So cocaine is nearly kind of a loophole to get a buzz without having to ingest additional calories.' Cocaine accounted for 23% of all admissions last year to the Rutland, a private rehab clinic, up from 17% in 2023. Ms Kavanagh told 'I think in generations gone by, you would have seen cocaine as a much more of a middle-class drug, and we're not seeing that now. The Rutland Centre rehab clinic yesterday published its 2024 annual report, warning of a 'growing national crisis' as cocaine replaces other drugs. Pic: Shutterstock 'We're seeing it being used right across social stratospheres; there is a real kind of blurring of lines around that. It does seem to be becoming much more prevalent in women.' She added: 'I think it's an attractive drug for women, and young women in particular, and some young men are very body-conscious, like we're in a society that's very obsessed with how we look, what we weigh, how many wrinkles we have… that's kind of the joy or the misery of social media.' The centre, in Knocklyon, Co. Dublin, has not yet released data on female admission for drug use, but said in a statement yesterday that treatment for cocaine in 2024 was 'one of the sharpest single-year increases the Rutland Centre has recorded for any substance'. Staff answered more than 16,800 calls and facilitated over 11,000 aftercare attendances, underscoring the scale of need in Irish society. Pic: Getty Images Rutland CEO Meave Mullany explained how women traditionally face worse barriers to entering treatment than men do. 'There's a lot more stigma and shame for women entering treatment. There's a lot more considerations around childcare, around family life, so they tend not to come forward for treatment as frequently or as often as men do,' she told RTÉ Radio 1. Regarding cocaine, Ms Mullany said that 'you hear from people that are coming in from treatment that it's literally everywhere'. She said the drug is in schools across Ireland. 'It's in the lockers, it's in school, it's after sport. We even hear from clients coming into treatment that there's an app that people can use to order it by drones,' she remarked. In response to this crisis, the centre has announced plans to open a dedicated inpatient detox unit later this year. While more than 200 people received intensive treatment through Rutland's residential and outpatient programmes in 2024, the centre engaged with thousands more through aftercare, free screening clinics and family support services. Staff answered more than 16,800 calls and facilitated over 11,000 aftercare attendances, underscoring the scale of need in Irish society. According to the Health Research Board's latest drug treatment figures, cocaine is now the most common problem drug among new treatment cases, accounting for over 30% of all new presentations, and overtaking cannabis for the first time. Men made up two-thirds (66%) of those treated at the Rutland Centre in 2024, with women accounting for 34%. The age group with the most people seeking help was those aged 25 to 44, who represent more than half of all clients. 'These figures highlight the age and gender realities of addiction in Ireland today, with younger adults and men continuing to face particularly acute risks,' the facility said in a statement. The Rutland report also revealed that 94% of residential clients completed the full treatment programme; 89% of those who moved into aftercare remained in active recovery; and 59 people accessed the centre's Stabilisation Group following relapse, with over half successfully returning to mainstream recovery. Personal stories also featured strongly in the report, with many former clients crediting Rutland with life-changing recovery. One former client, Chris, said: 'When I arrived four years ago, I was completely broken. The 35 days in the house was the hardest of my life. I finally had to face me. 'Now I look back and recovery hasn't just been about sobriety, it's about growing up and reconnecting with the people I love.' Regarding his recovery process, he added: 'Halfway through, I wanted to leave, I wanted to run – but that same night something clicked: no one else was going to do this for me. I needed to show up for myself. What's happened since still blows my mind.'
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Ireland 'in the dark' over fate of pharma in Trump tariff deal
It is still unclear if pharmaceuticals, which are critical to the Irish economy, will be included in the 15pc bracket or if they could yet be hit with a higher levy. The fate of other sectors that are important to Ireland is also unclear, with details yet to emerge about alcohol and some dairy products. The EU is insisting that pharma tariffs will be capped at 15pc, on the basis of a 'very clear political commitment' made by US president Donald Trump during talks with Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission on Sunday. However, the US is doing a so-called Section 232 investigation into the pharma sector, a procedure that is independent of sectoral tariffs. This could lead to Trump slapping a high tariff on pharma companies, as he attempts to strong-arm them into moving manufacturing back to America. Tánaiste Simon Harris and Taoiseach Micheál Martin welcomed a deal between the European Union and the United States, which will see a 15pc tariff on most EU imports to the US. EU sources were insisting yesterday the US would honour the 'informal understanding' on pharma during the talks. EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said yesterday: 'I believe that this commitment will be honoured and respected in this case as well.' A senior cabinet minister said last night there are still elements of the deal that Ireland is 'in the dark' about. 'Where pharma and semi-conductors end up post the section 232 investigations is still an unknown,' they said. That's where there's a significant concentration from Irish perspective 'That's where there's a significant concentration from Irish perspective. So, we're still in the dark about elements of it.' While there were some positives from the deal, including the zero-for-zero arrangement on aviation, there is still 'an open question' on pharma, they said. 'Pharma and semi-conductors is where a lot of this will rest and there's still an open question about where they'll end up,' they added. 'Certainly 30pc – or a trade war for months – would have been worse but there is still concern about where they'll land.' Tánaiste Simon Harris will convene a meeting of the Government Trade Forum on Friday. The meeting will see Mr Harris give stakeholders an update on the latest analysis and implications of this trade deal. Mr Harris described it as a 'timely opportunity to share and gain insights on what this deal will mean for the future of Irish businesses, jobs, and the economy,' as they continue to analyse its full implications. 'Whilst the agreement between the EU and the US is welcome, we know that the imposition of any tariffs will have implications and that now is the time to intensify efforts to find and secure more markets for Irish businesses and Irish jobs,' he added. Meanwhile, Enterprise Minister Peter Burke will update the Cabinet today on the details of the zero-for zero-arrangement on aviation, which he will tell colleagues Ireland fought for as part of its engagement. Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon said yesterday Ireland will now push for a zero-for-zero deal on alcohol in the next stage of negotiations with the US. Mr Heydon said if this can be achieved, it would mean Irish whiskey would be more competitive to rival whisky exports from Scotland. Until an agreement between the US and UK is reached, UK exports will have a 10pc tariff applied. 'We will be trying to get as much zero-for-zero [tariffs] as possible. If you take the area of Irish whiskey, 40pc of our whiskey is exported to the US. More than you would like for any one particular market,' Mr Heydon told RTÉ's Drivetime programme. Micheál Martin said the deal 'avoids further escalation'. Photo: PA 'We know that the whiskey sector is under very significant strain at the minute with a number of distilleries stopping producing for these few months. 'If we could get zero-for-zero on spirits, that would put us in a very strong position. It would actually, if the 10pc remained in the UK, would actually put Irish whiskey at an advantage over Scotland,' he added. Taoiseach Micheál Martin said no one was welcoming the baseline tariff of 15pc 'with open arms' but the EU-US agreement avoids a 'ruinous' trade war. Mr Martin also said the deal offered 'overall ceilings' on tariff rates and would mean they are not 'stacked' upon another. Despite suggestions from president Trump, he said his understanding was that the 15pc tariff on pharmaceutical exports also represented 'a ceiling' rate. Mr Martin said the US tariffs are 'not Brexit' and the approach for supporting businesses had to be 'strategic and not a handout'. Asked whether the €9.4bn Budget spending announced last week would be cut, Mr Martin said they would better understand the implications closer to the budget being unveiled in October.
Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Cathal Berry: Ireland is now a global outlier in being virtually defenceless
Ireland's armed forces have been chronically underfunded for generations. However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 coincided with a historic low, even by Irish standards.
