Barnardos chief executive Fergus Finlay has sought the Labour Party nomination to run as a candidate in the Presidential election.
Labour TD Michael D Higgins has also expressed interest in being selected as the party's candidate.
In a letter to Labour TDs, Senators and members of the party's National Executive, Mr Finlay said the election to succeed Mary McAleese would be of real importance to the Irish people.
He said it was vital that voters had a real choice about what kind of spirit should inform politics in the years ahead.
Fergus Finlay's name has been linked with the Labour nomination in recent months but he says his letter to senior party members is the first approach he has made about becoming a candidate.
Mr Finlay, who was involved in Mary Robinson's campaign in 1990, says he has encountered a palpable sense of hurt and betrayal throughout the country.
He says the Presidency is one of the few institutions that has not been tarnished or damaged in recent years and that it can now play a role in bringing about a reconnection between the State and its citizens.
In his letter, Mr Finlay says he hopes his decision to seek the nomination will trigger a debate in the Labour Party about the leadership a President can provide and on the values that should inform its campaign.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party's President and Foreign Affairs Spokesman Michael D Higgins told RTÉ News this morning that he would be interested in being selected as the party's candidate to run for the presidency.
He said he had been encouraged by many people inside and outside the party to seek the nomination in recent months and had been giving it consideration throughout the summer.
He said he would not be making any formal announcement until the party begins its selection process.
Labour leader Eamon Gilmore has welcomed the fact that there will be a contest for the Labour Party's nomination for the Office of President.
He said he is glad there will be a contest because of the debate it will engender about the Office of the President and the future of the country.
Mr Gilmore would not be drawn on which candidate he would support.
But, he reminded people that the Presidential election is over a year away and that the party's focus is on getting Fianna Fáil out of Government and giving a fresh start to the country.
