Independent Gareth Sheridan is halfway to securing a Presidential Election nomination after receiving the support of Tipperary County Council.
He is now just two council nominations away from becoming a presidential candidate.
A proposal was put to Tipperary councillors not to nominate a candidate, however it was defeated 20 votes to 19.
Mr Sheridan won the council's nomination 17 votes to three. Four councillors were absent and 16 abstained from voting.
Yesterday, Kerry County Council gave their support to Mr Sheridan.
It's a huge honour to have received my second Local Authority nomination from Tipperary County Council this afternoon.
— Gareth Sheridan (@GPSheridan1) September 16, 2025
I’m very grateful to Councillors from across the political spectrum for their support and exercising their constitutional right by nominating a candidate. pic.twitter.com/srX3cO2SSW
Earlier, he asked councillors in Tipperary not to dismiss his bid for a presidential nomination as "youthful arrogance".
He said the Taoiseach had chosen someone with no political experience to be a presidential candidate.
Mr Sheridan said he, too, had "exceptional life experience", having been "one of a handful of people who floated a company on a US stock exchange" after building a successful business that helps deliver pain medication safely.
Mr Sheridan, a businessman and entrepreneur, still requires a nomination from two more local authorities to have his name on the ballot paper on 24 October.
'Three horse race' not enough - cllr
Fine Gael councillor Mary Hanna Hourigan, who voted for Mr Sheridan, said she did so because it otherwise would be undemocratic.
She said having a "three horse race" for the Áras is not enough.
"I feel it would be undemocratic not to give credible candidates an opportunity to get on the ballot paper. I feel Sheridan is a credible candidate," Ms Hanna Hourigan said.
"He is taken seriously and had reached out to people and councillors for the past year. He is not a fly by night person. I feel we need competition because having a three-horse race is not enough," she added.
"I know we have an excellent candidate in Heather Humphreys and I will be supporting her. Personally, I would love to see Heather Humphreys as President but we have to give everyone a chance.
A number of councillors put it to Mr Sheridan that he was better suited as a candidate for election to the Dáil.
He said there were dozens of people up and down the country who would be better TDs than he could ever be. He said he saw himself more as a leadership figure and someone who would inspire.
Asked if he would describe what is happening in Gaza as a genocide, he said "yes". He also said he supports the Occupied Territories Bill.
When put to him if he had engaged in any social issues, he said he had supported the work of Merchants Quay and was passionate about their work on addiction.
Twelve candidates in total spoke at the special meeting of Tipperary County Council.
Mr Sheridan is also due to address Wicklow County Council.
Council picks no candidate
Galway County Council will not nominate a candidate to contest the forthcoming election.
Five people hoping to secure the backing of the Council made presentations to elected representatives at a special meeting this morning.
A total of 30 aspirants had expressed an interest in addressing the meeting, with 13 indicating they would attend the gathering.
However, only five of those travelled to City Hall this morning.
None of them succeeded in having their names nominated for consideration for by councillors.
Yesterday, six local authorities made the decision not to nominate a candidate in the upcoming Presidential Election.
Dublin, Cork and Galway city councils were joined by Laois, Roscommon and Longford county councils, choosing not to endorse any of the prospective candidates.
As it stands, Nick Delehanty and Maria Steen appear to be making no detectable progress in their efforts to enter the presidential election race.
Former MMA fighter Conor McGregor withdrew his name from the contest yesterday.
To be eligible to run, a candidate must be nominated either by 20 members of the Oireachtas or four local authorities.
They must also be an Irish citizen over the age of 35.
Connolly, Gavin, Humphreys pitching themselves to midlands voters
Meanwhile, presidential candidates Catherine Connolly, Jim Gavin and former government minister Heather Humphreys are pitching themselves to midlands voters today at the National Ploughing Championships.
Ms Humphreys said she would aim to break down barriers between communities if elected.
Speaking at the Ploughing, she said that her campaign will focus on themes like community and opportunity.
She emphasised unity and pledged to be a voice for young people, vowing to speak up for them on issues such as housing.
She said too that her attendance at an Orange Order event a decade ago was at a picnic and not a march.
Mr Gavin insisted that he would be a voice for those who don't have a voice if he was elected to office.
But he added that a president should not have any direct influence on the government policies of the day.
The 54-year-old described himself as a young man who can related to young people.
Ms Connolly has also been meeting people at the Ploughing as is another potential candidate, Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty.
Gavin has experience to be strong candidate - Martin
Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said Mr Gavin was approached by the party and "gave it great thought" before deciding whether to run.
"He (Jim Gavin) really deliberated on this, thought about it and said he was up for it and wanted to run."
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, the Taoiseach added that in his opinion, Mr Gavin had the depth and breadth of experience to be a strong presidential candidate.
"My own sense was he had the breadth and the depth to be a very serious candidate.
"I'm somewhat struck that people seem to think nowadays that you have to have party political experience to be a candidate for the presidency.
"That's a new development, really, in a sense, because that would restrict the presidency to just one cohort and category of people.
"I actually think that he has very significant experience that covers all the various capacities that are required to be president.
"I think, above all, he will be an active president."
SF will decide its election stance on Saturday - Doherty
Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty has refused to be drawn on whether he will be the party's choice to run as their candidate in the Presidential Election.
Speaking at the National Ploughing Championships, Mr Doherty reiterated that the party would disclose on Saturday whether it will field its own candidate or back the campaign of Catherine Connolly.
"The key thing for us is we want to see a dual objective, we want in Sinn Féin to make sure that this Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael government is out of office at the next general election and we can lead a government for change, but we also want to keep Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael out of the Áras," he said.
Mr Doherty added: "That’s the strategic decision that we will be contemplating over the next number of days, and as Mary Lou (McDonald) said, we’ll be meeting Catherine Connolly’s campaign before that decision, and that will happen in the coming days and then make a decision at the weekend."
"I can tell you one thing about Sinn Féin, we are busting with characters who are fit to run for the president and I’ve no doubt about it."
Additional reporting Petula Martyn, Harry Manning
