Latest news with #presidentialbid
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Riverdance star Michael Flatley to make bid for Irish presidency, court hears
Riverdance star Michael Flatley is hoping to become Ireland's next president, a court has heard. The revelation came out in a legal case over work done on his mansion in County Cork, the Castlehyde. Barrister Ronnie Hudson said there had been a "material change in circumstances" for Flatley and he's set to move back to Ireland in the next two weeks in the hope of running in autumn's election. A legal statement signed by the star's solicitor, Maxwell Mooney, was also submitted to the High Court stating Flatley would "seek nominations to run for president of Ireland". Flatley rose to fame when Riverdance, which features traditional Irish music and dance, became a phenomenon in the 1990s and went on to tour the world. It continues to be performed today. The choreographer and dancer also created and starred in Lord Of The Dance. The 67-year-old - who currently lives in Monaco - strongly hinted at a presidential bid last week, but said he hadn't made a final decision. He told a radio interview he didn't think the Irish people had a "true proper deep voice that speaks their language". Flatley said the "average person on the street" is unhappy with the status quo and "somebody has to speak for the Irish people". Read more from Sky News: The role of president in is largely ceremonial and is currently held by Michael D Higgins, whose term ends on 11 November. The election is expected to take place at the end of October. A candidate needs nominations from at least 20 members of the Irish parliament or at least four local authorities. Those who've already met the criteria are former farming journalist and EU commissioner Mairead McGuinness, and former Galway mayor Catherine Connolly. Former MMA fighter Conor McGregor is among others who have also - although the prospect was universally rejected by other politicians in Ireland.
Sky News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Riverdance star Michael Flatley to make bid for Irish presidency, court hears
Riverdance star Michael Flatley is hoping to become Ireland's next president, a court has heard. The revelation came out in a legal case over work done on his mansion in County Cork, the Castlehyde. Barrister Ronnie Hudson said there had been a "material change in circumstances" for Flatley and he's set to move back to Ireland in the next two weeks in the hope of running in autumn's election. A legal statement signed by the star's solicitor, Maxwell Mooney, was also submitted to the High Court stating Flatley would "seek nominations to run for president of Ireland". Flatley rose to fame when Riverdance, which features traditional Irish music and dance, became a phenomenon in the 1990s and went on to tour the world. It continues to be performed today. The choreographer and dancer also created and starred in Lord Of The Dance. The 67-year-old - who currently lives in Monaco - strongly hinted at a presidential bid last week, but said he hadn't made a final decision. He told a radio interview he didn't think the Irish people had a "true proper deep voice that speaks their language". Flatley said the "average person on the street" is unhappy with the status quo and "somebody has to speak for the Irish people". The role of president in Ireland is largely ceremonial and is currently held by Michael D Higgins, whose term ends on 11 November. The election is expected to take place at the end of October. A candidate needs nominations from at least 20 members of the Irish parliament or at least four local authorities. Those who've already met the criteria are former farming journalist and EU commissioner Mairead McGuinness, and former Galway mayor Catherine Connolly. Former MMA fighter Conor McGregor is among others who have also hinted they might run - although the prospect was universally rejected by other politicians in Ireland.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Michael Flatley intends to make presidential bid, his barrister confirms
Michael Flatley intends to make a presidential bid, a barrister for the Lord of the Dance choreographer has confirmed. Barrister Ronnie Hudson notified the court on Friday of a 'material change in circumstances' for Flatley during a High Court case he has taken in relation to works carried out at his Cork mansion. Flatley is to move back to Ireland within the next 14 days and look to run in the presidential election this autumn, his barrister confirmed. [ Tony Holohan 'reflecting' on how to contribute to public life in future Opens in new window ] The dancer, who is eligible to run as an Irish citizen, had strongly hinted at a presidential bid last week, but said he had not made a final decision. An affidavit signed by Flatley's solicitor Maxwell Mooney was submitted to the court stating that the Irish-American is 'to seek nominations to run for president of Ireland'. An election for the largely ceremonial role is expected towards the end of October, as it must take place in the 60 days before outgoing President Michael D Higgins's term ends on November 11th. - PA
Fox News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
'Ruthless' podcast hosts think Newsom's pivot from radical stances is 'BS' but a 'bold move'
"Ruthless" podcast hosts Josh Holmes, Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook and Comfortably Smug took aim at Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom in his attempt to shed far-left stances he and his party have embraced in recent years during their appearance Tuesday on "Jesse Watters Primetime." Newsom has been making headlines in recent weeks for comments appearing to moderate his stances on issues like immigration and transgender treatment of children, which many believe is his planting the seeds of a 2028 presidential bid. "Well, I think he's making a decision to go on the Republican track in the Democratic Party," Duncan reacted. "It's a bold choice. We'll see how it works out for him, but the other choices are [to] get arrested, fight I.C.E. or become a communist. So I like his odds." Ashbrook suggested Newsom hasn't "stuck the landing" with his pivot from the far-left. He later took a swipe at Newsom's eagerness to appear on right-wing podcasts, telling Watters, "Everybody sees through his BS." "But it is absolutely the avenue he should be taking," Ashbrook added. "It is it's the way of the future. New media is the way of the future." Smug compared the liberal politics of California to the New York City mayoral race where socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani continues to lead in all the polls against rivals Andrew Cuomo and incumbent mayor Eric Adams, both running as independents after previously running as Democrats. "You have so much of the party that has lined up behind a communist. Is that 'Thelma & Louise' - let's go over the cliff. Let's go crazy. Let's learn nothing from this election," Smug said. "And there's this, like, glimmering hope of like, 'You know, maybe Cuomo could pull it off.' There's some rational group of Democrats left, isn't there? And I don't know. I don't know if there are any left." Holmes, a Minnesota native, said progressive politics has hit close to home while discussing the Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh, who is running on a similar platform as Mamdani. "Look, they've had this problem in Minneapolis for a lone time," Holmes told Watters. "It came from a huge number of Somali immigrants that came in with no mandate to assimilate whatsoever in the city of Minneapolis. That's where I'm from. And you can see the community just sort of become something else, right? And then it produces folks like Omar. They have absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the state, completely on their own, on an island in the middle of Minneapolis. It's sad." FOX News Media announced it has landed a licensing deal with the "Ruthless" podcast as part of the company's expansion of new media. "The FOX News Media ecosystem we have built over the past seven years continues to thrive and set new records, and the 'Ruthless' deal is a natural extension of our powerhouse brand as audiences reshape how they consume quality content," FOX News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said in a statement Tuesday. "We have cultivated an unrivaled bench of successful personalities who are well-positioned to excel in today's evolving media landscape, where podcasting offers the kind of deep engagement our platforms are known for." The "Ruthless" co-hosts said in a joint statement, "We are thrilled to take 'Ruthless' to the next level through this strategic partnership. There is a growing appetite for authentic political and cultural conversations, and our podcast delivers with no-holds-barred, irreverent takes that deeply resonate with our dedicated audience."
BreakingNews.ie
23-06-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Politics watch: O'Neill, Eastwood linked with presidential bids
Here, we have a look at the issues likely to dominate political discourse in the week to come. O'Neill declines to rule out Áras bid, Eastwood hints at run Nothern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill is the latest name to be heavily linked with a presidential bid. Advertisement At a press conference in Co Armagh on Friday, Ms O'Neill was asked about the possibility of her running in the election, which must take place by November 11th. She replied: "I think I've plenty to do, being First Minister. But I would think the fact remains that I could stand for election, I could be elected as Uachtarán na hÉireann, but I can't vote in that election, so that's where there's a deficit and what we need to see is presidential voting rights extended to the North so the Irish citizens in the North can vote.' Former SDLP leader Colum Eastwood was also linked with a presidential bid on Friday. He told the BBC that people had asked him to consider a presidential bid. 'I'm going to take the time to think about it." Advertisement Mr Eastwood was previously involved in talks with Fianna Fáil about closer links between the party and the SDLP, and he could be backed if he decides to run as Fianna Fáil have not yet come to a decision on a candidate. With the end of President Michael D Higgins' second term fast approaching, Fine Gael have not announced a candidate either. There had been speculation the party could sit the presidential election out, or back a candidate in conjunction with Coalition partners Fianna Fáil. However, Tánaiste Simon Harris has previously said his party will name its own candidate. Advertisement In an interview with The Journal in March, the Fine Gael leader said: "'I haven't had any discussions with any other party, but I expect we will run a candidate in our own right. That's my that's my working assumption." Former tánaiste France Fitzgerald had been the favourite to be Fine Gael's candidate, but she confirmed she would not run in April. Taoiseach criticises 'excessive' measures faced by students seeking US visas The Taoiseach has described a decision to subject students applying for J1 visas to a 'comprehensive and thorough vetting' of their social media as 'excessive'. Micheál Martin said he does not agree nor approve of the measures announced by the US embassy on Monday. Advertisement Ireland's national students' union said the new measures represent a significant and disproportionate intrusion into personal lives and digital privacy, and that they raise serious concerns about freedom of expression and online surveillance. The changes also apply for other exchange visitor applicants in the F, M, and J non-immigrant classifications. Leo Varadkar says Keir Starmer should not 'try to censor' Kneecap Former taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said politicians should not try to censor artists after UK prime minister Keir Starmer said Kneecap's Glastonbury inclusion was "inappropriate". The Belfast rap trio are scheduled to perform on Saturday at 4pm. Advertisement Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh appeared in court on Wednesday charged, under UK anti-terrorism legislation, with showing support for a proscribed organisation. The performer, known as Mo Chara, allegedly draped himself in a Hezbollah flag at a London gig last November and shouted 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah', referring to the Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups respectively. In an interview with The Sun, Mr Starmer was asked if he thought the trio should perform at Glastonbury, to which he replied: 'No, I don't, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this. 'This is about the threats that shouldn't be made, I won't say too much because there's a court case on, but I don't think that's appropriate.' In a social media post, Mr Varadkar said he initially believed Mr Starmer's comments were "a gag". '[I] no longer hold office nor have any mandate so my views don't count for so much anymore. I get that. But I really thought this was some sort of gag. It's the role of artists to be avant garde, inappropriate, challenging, disruptive - from James Joyce to Sex Pistols and Playboy. 'Politicians really should not try to censor this. If an offence was committed, let the courts decide. In the meantime, the rule of law says the accused is innocent until proven guilty.' Anti-immigrant activists tried to 'weaponise' Carlow shooting incident with misinformation Misinformation around a recent shooting incident at a Carlow shopping centre was "weaponised" by anti-immigrant activists and facilitated by social media algorithms, according to a researcher who monitors far-right activity in Ireland. In an interview with , H&CC research and communications lead Mark Malone said: "Claims from the likes of Derek Blighe, from Gavin Lowbridge (who runs the OffGrid Ireland account on Twitter spaces), they were framing the incident as a terrorist shooting related to their own anti-immigrant politics. This was all within a time period that allowed for no verification, and subsequently what transpired was most of it was utter nonsense." Mr Malone also mentioned anti-immigrant activist Philp Dwyer, who drove to the scene in Carlow to film. "It was telling that Philip Dwyer was travelling back from an anti-migrant demonstration in Clonmel, heard there was something happening and landed up in Carlow, he describes himself as a 'citizen journalist'." Abroad All eyes are on the US, after president Donald Trump sanctioned strikes on Iran in support of Israel. Mr Trump has called into question the future of Iran's ruling theocracy, seemingly contradicting his administration's earlier calls to resume negotiations and avoid an escalation in fighting. 'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change???' Mr Trump posted on social media. 'MIGA!!!' The posting on Truth Social marked something of a reversal from defence secretary Pete Hegseth's Sunday morning news conference that detailed the aerial bombing on three of the country's nuclear sites. 'This mission was not and has not been about regime change,' Mr Hegseth said.
