Former meteorologist Joanna Donnelly has confirmed that she is seeking a nomination to contest the upcoming Presidential Election.
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, she said that she had written to all local authorities last night to express her interest.
"Just before midnight last night, I sent in emails to the chairs of the county councils, literally all of them, because I have no reason to believe that anybody would actually take this seriously," she said.
"So I just threw the net wide and said I'll see what happens."
Ms Donnelly also confirmed that she had not been approached by any political party to contest the election.
She said that she decided to put her name forward after being encouraged by friends to do so.
"I was dismissing this idea as absolute nonsense ... More and more people were saying it to me. I was saying it to my friends and they weren't laughing me off the stool," she said.
"But then what happened was I started to think about what I was going to do with the rest of my life. What it is that I'm motivated by and what it is that I feel can be of value.
"The last 20 years of my career has been wonderful and in the last five years, the most motivated I've been is when I'm talking to people advocating for STEM, advocating for climate justice, and engaging with the public in groups or in singles and just being a part of the public service."
Minister for Housing and Local Government James Browne will sign the presidential order tomorrow at lunchtime, which will set polling day for Friday 24 October.
Mr Browne discussed the matter with Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Simon Harris and Minister of State Sean Canney this morning.
Independent Catherine Connolly and Fine Gael's Heather Humphreys are the only candidates who have met the required level of support.
'Shaking like a leaf'
Ms Donnelly, who left Met Éireann unexpectedly in April, said that she was putting herself in a "vulnerable" position by putting her name forward for consideration, but outlined why she felt she would be a suitable candidate for the Presidency.
"I thought long and hard about this and exposing myself to this, because that's a big thing to let yourself be vulnerable in this place," she said.
"I've never been nervous before my whole entire life and I'm absolutely shaking like a leaf right now. I have a feeling that the whole world is going to say, 'the absolute audacity of this one'."
"I put myself into what I want from a president. What are the qualities I would look for when I'm putting my x beside a name? I want somebody that has demonstrated trust, empathy, non-political. I want dignity. I want education.
"Those are the qualities that I'm looking for, and I examined myself. Are those qualities that I can bring and that the public would believe that I have?
"I've put myself out there because I have strong feelings, and because I believe that a candidate has to have certain qualities that I believe I have. I’m yet to see a candidate that ticks all my boxes," she added.
Watch: Joanna Donnelly signs off from RTÉ Weather after a decade
