Former MMA fighter Conor McGregor has withdrawn his bid to run in the upcoming Presidential Election.
He had been seeking a nomination from local authorities to get on the ballot paper.
In a post on X, he said that following careful reflection, and after consulting with his family, he was withdrawing his candidacy from this presidential race.
"This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one at this moment in time," he said.
A number of local authorities are meeting today to hear from potential presidential candidates.
Mr McGregor had been due to address meetings of Dublin City Council and Kildare County Council today in an attempt to get onto the ballot paper for October's election.
Speaking in Cork, ahead of Fianna Fáil's think-in, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Mr McGregor's decision to abandon his attempt to become a candidate in the Presidential Election was a matter for him.
"Conor McGregor has made his decision, it's a matter for Conor McGregor. I don't really have any further comment to make on it," he said,
To be eligible to run, a candidate must be nominated by 20 members of the Oireachtas or by four local authorities. They must also be an Irish citizen over the age of 35.
Just before noon today, Gareth Sheridan secured Kerry County Council's nomination in his bid to contest the Presidential Election.
This is a key day for Independents with Nick Delehanty likely to speak at council meetings in Westmeath, Roscommon and Galway, while Maria Steen will make her pitch in Longford and Dublin City.
In his post on X, Mr McGregor said he would continue to serve people by using his international platform to promote Irish interests abroad, to strengthen economic opportunities, and to advocate for transparency and responsibility in public life at home.
"This campaign has sparked an important conversation about democracy in Ireland about who gets to stand, who gets to choose, and how we can ensure that the presidency truly belongs to the people," he said.
In November last year, a jury in a civil trial found Mr McGregor raped Nikita Hand in a hotel room in Dublin in December 2018 and awarded her almost €250,000 in damages.
Mr McGregor lost a subsequent appeal against the ruling in July this year.
Former government minister Heather Humphreys is running for Fine Gael in the 24 October election while ex-Dublin Gaelic football manager Jim Gavin is the Fianna Fáil candidate. Mr Gavin is due to attend a parliamentary party meeting in Cork today.
Yesterday, Independent presidential candidate Catherine Connolly said she would be "delighted" if Sinn Féin backed her campaign, when it clarifies its position next Saturday.
Ms Connolly currently has the backing of the Social Democrats, Labour, People Before Profit-Solidarity and some Independents.
People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy said he believes Ms Connolly has a chance to win the presidency and the idea of having a "principled, left socialist" in the presidency is very attractive to many people.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme, Mr Murphy said: "This is winnable."
He said that PBP/Solidarity wants to build a movement of resistance to fight for change and provide the country with a very different, left government.
Mr Murphy said this is one of the reasons that Ms Connolly's campaign for president is so important and he hopes that Sinn Féin will endorse her.
"I think if they do come in behind Catherine, well then we're going to have a very broad left campaign for president which is clearly positioned against Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, against their agenda to tear up what is left of our neutrality, for example. Someone who has a record as a principled voice for peace and for people's welfare," added Mr Murphy.
Additional reporting: PA
