Row as Laois councillor asks for Irish presidential votes 'up north'

A Laois county councillor is asking for the Electoral Commission to allow Northern Ireland residents to vote for the next President of Ireland.

Independent Portlaoise Municipal District Cllr Tommy Mulligan says he "can't believe that 27 years after the Good Friday Agreement, Irish citizens are deprived of the right to vote for an Irish President".

Cllr Mulligan proposes that Laois County Council ask the commission to allow that "all Irish citizens on the island of Ireland are entitled to the same voting rights, enabling Irish citizens up north to vote in the upcoming presidential election". His motion was passed at a recent council meeting.

It sparked a row at the meeting however, with a Fianna Fáil councillor.

Cllr Mulligan denied having affiliations to an unnamed political party, after being challenged by Fianna Fáil Cllr Paddy Bracken from the Mountmellick Borris-in-Ossory Municipal District.

Cllr Bracken asked "what party are you coming from? What's your background?".

"I don't have a 'little agenda'. I'm an Irish citizen. I have lots of friends up north. Who's been in Government, who else has been responsible but Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael?," Cllr Mulligan answered.

"You blame them for everything. I won't take a lecture from you, you don't know what party you're in. I know the background you're coming from," retorted Cllr Bracken.

Cllr Mulligan had set out his argument for the inclusive vote.

"There are over one million Irish people in Northern Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement said that people in the north are entitled to be Irish citizens. Mary McAleese was President of Ireland but she wasn't able to vote for herself," he said.

Independent Cllr Aisling Moran, formerly of Fine Gael, seconded the motion.

"I don't agree that Irish people from all over the world can vote. But he is the President of Ireland, not of the Republic. So I do agree that anyone who is living in Ireland can vote," she said.

Independent republican Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley, who left Sinn Féin, also supported the motion.

"We had a president from West Belfast and a candidate from Derry, the reality is it's crazy that they can't vote for themselves. There are now a record number of people in Northern Ireland who hold Irish passports, they identify as Irish. Under the Good Friday Agreement there was a responsibility on both Governments to expand areas of cooperation and this was one of them.

"Michael D has done a lot too. I think this is the last presidential election where they won't be allowed to vote, Polish people can vote here for their country," Cllr Dwane Stanley said.

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Cllr Dwane Stanley also said she "would love" to see the criteria changed where a candidate must be aged over 36 and must have the backing of a political party or of four county councils.

Fianna Fáil Cllr Paschal McEvoy praised a former Taoiseach who is tipped to run.

"It's great we are talking about it. Bertie Ahern did great work," he said.

The election of the next President takes place in November 2025.