Kevin Sharkey to run in general election as independent
Artist Kevin Sharkey said the support he had received in the hours since he made the announcement had been 'incredible'.
Irish artist Kevin Sharkey has announced he will run in the upcoming general election as an independent.
The painter said he took the decision to contest the election as "the Irish people are being denied their say in important matters".
Mr Sharkey will join the hotly contested race in Dublin Central where he will be up against Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe, Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon, Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan and former MEP Clare Daly.
Both Mr Sharkey and Ms Daly announced their candidacy this week hoping to claim a seat in the four-seater.
The Donegal man, who has galleries in Dublin and London, said the support he had received in the hours since he made the announcement had been "incredible".
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Mr Sharkey said he was confident he could take a seat in the Dáil despite the fierce competition.
"I hope to get the biggest vote in the history of the State, the 63-year-old said, because that is the only way to get the Government to sit up and listen."
This is not Mr Sharkey's first foray into politics, having put himself forward for the presidential election in 2018.
At the time, he said Donald Trump's America First policy should be mirrored in Ireland before pulling out of the race to focus on his latest collection of paintings.
Speaking on Thursday, Mr Sharkey said he would be campaigning on a number of issues but his focus was mainly on the issue of immigration.
He said he welcomed "positive immigration" and believed Ireland should help those who are in need but there needed to be a cap on the number of people entering the country.
Mr Sharkey said Irish people were not racist and was a welcoming country but that had been "exploited" by the Government.
He likened the current situation to a teen throwing a house party that has gotten out of control because it was announced on Facebook and too many people turned up.
There are Irish politicians who have invited all of these people to Ireland but when they arrive they find we cannot accommodate them and are left sleeping in tents, Mr Sharkey said.
Raising concerns about immigration is something people are afraid to do as they will be labelled racist, he claimed.
"When did we give up Ireland? When did we become embarrassed to be Irish? When did loving your country become 'right wing'?" he asked.
Mr Sharkey has spoken openly about his upbringing in Ireland and his time in the care system. He was born in a mother and baby home to an Irish mother and Nigerian father.
He was put up for adoption at six months old and raised by the Sharkey family in Donegal.
When he was 12, he returned to the care system and remained in a children's home until he was 16.
As an adult, Mr Sharkey was reunited with his birth mother following an appearance on the .
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