World of Politics with Harry McGee

There have been some very prospective candidates for the Presidency over the years – but few were as eccentric as a gentleman who went by the name, William Abbey of the Holy Cross Fitzsimons. Fitzsimons was a retired customs officer, originally from Tipperary, who stood in a multiple of elections during the 1980s, never amassing more than a handful of votes.

In 1983, all the parties in the Dáil agreed that it would be better not to hold a Presidential election and allow the incumbent, Patrick Hillery, a second term. If there were to be a contest, a........

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