Former European Parliament president Pat Cox has thrown his hat in the ring with a view to securing a presidential nomination from Fine Gael.
Addressing a news conference in Dublin this morning, Mr Cox said he approached the contest with a sense of deep humility.
He said other candidates had been in the race weeks ahead of him, conceding it would be an uphill struggle for him.
He was accompanied at his news conference by Fine Gael Senator Colm Burke and Cork North Central TD Dara Murphy.
Mr Cox confirmed that he would remain a member of the Fine Gael Party in the event he fails to secure the party's nomination.
He added that he was unsure as to what his exact role would be in the Fine Gael party in the future should he fail to secure the nomination, and that he was concentrating on the job in hand at the moment.
Speaking later on RTÉ's News at One, Mr Cox said anything he has done in his public life was genuinely in the public interest.
He added that if he was elected President he work relentlessly for some recovery and hope in this economy.
Meanwhile, Michael D Higgins has said he is confident of winning the Labour Presidential nomination.
In an interview on Raidió na Gaeltachta, he said he was very confident of being successful at Sunday's convention.
The former Labour TD claims to have the full backing of 28 of the party electorate and the tacit support of another 10 or 12.
Prospective Independent candidate Mary Davis has received the support of three Galway County Councillors as part of her county by county campaign tour seeking a nomination.
