Catherine Connolly says she will seek to become Ireland's next president
The left-wing Galway West representative said she did not make the decision overnight and was doubtful enough about the move, but was convinced by the correspondence she got from people asking her to run.
She outlined the reasons why she decided to run and her vision for the presidency while speaking on RTE Raidio na Gaeltachta's programme Adhmhaidin.
"I was taken aback by the support I received, I wasn't expecting that level of support from people across the country, in English and Irish," she said speaking in Irish.
She said she was independent, was "not afraid to speak out" and outlined her vision for the role. Independent TD Catherine Connolly, Leas Cheann Comhairle
She added: "I will give an ear to everyone, I worked as a clinical psychologist for seven years, and then I worked as a barrister. From that experience I can hear everyone's opinion."
On Tuesday, Mairead McGuinness became the first official nominee in the presidential race to replace Michael D Higgins after his term comes to an end in the autumn.
Ms McGuinness, who was a TV presenter and farming journalist before becoming an MEP and EU commissioner, is the nominee to become Fine Gael's presidential candidate.
Prospective candidates need the support of 20 Oireachtas members to get on the ballot paper.
Fianna Fail, the party with the most TDs in the Dail, has not clarified if it will run a candidate and is to make a decision in the early autumn.
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has also refused to rule herself out of the running. Mary Lou McDonald. (Image: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin)
Ms Connolly has received the backing of the Social Democrats and People Before Profit, with the Labour Party to "very seriously" consider backing her.
Left-wing independent Ms Connolly worked as a barrister and a clinical psychologist before becoming a councillor for 17 years and spending a term as Galway mayor until 2005.
She resigned from the Labour Party in 2006 after being turned down to be a running mate of then-incumbent TD Michael D Higgins.
She was first elected to the Dail as an independent candidate for Galway West in 2016.
Speaking on Wednesday, she said she did not "fall out" with the Labour Party and said she understood that Labour and Sinn Fein were considering supporting her, adding she already had the support of more than 20 Oireachtas members.
Asked about who would pay for her campaign, she said the parties that have backed her "were happy" to give her any support she needs, but the details had not yet been worked out.
She was also asked about her stance on the war in Ukraine – about the suggestion that she did not clap during Volodymyr Zelensky's address to the Dail in April 2022 and whether Ukraine should be sent arms by other countries. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. (Image: Getty Images)
She said she had criticised Russia "many times" and was despondent about the failure of diplomacy in relation to the conflict, but that does not give Russia "any excuse".
She said she did clap for Mr Zelensky in April 2022 but said some journalists reckoned her applause "did not go on long enough or was not strong enough".
She added: "I want us to use our voice as a neutral country. I am very worried about the direction Europe, the US and other countries are going in. More war does not bring about peace, that is not the way.
"We're a small country with a particular history and we should use that experience and influence, not just in relation to Russia, but in relation to Israel and Gaza too."
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