Presidential election wide open after Mairead McGuinness withdrawal

Mairead McGuinness has ended her bid for the presidency, citing medical advice and leaving Fine Gael without a candidate

Simon Harris said that his party will consider its next steps in the coming days, but party sources said that there was not an immediately obvious candidate in the race for Áras an Uachtaráin.

The race to become the next President of Ireland has been thrown wide open after frontrunner Mairead McGuinness withdrew from the contest.

The former European commissioner said her decision to withdraw "had not come lightly", adding that it was made "after a stay in hospital last week".