Michael D starts race towards presidency

POET, politician and scholar Michael D Higgins has begun his race to be the next president of Ireland.

He arrived at his parliamentary party’s pre-Dáil gathering in Roscommon claiming he had the credentials to become the head of state and the support to overcome his rival in the Labour Party, Fergus Finlay.

The Galway West TD said he already had a clear idea of the campaign he would run and would not change his message to suit the race.