The prospects for the tenth presidency of Ireland are becoming clearer as the nomination deadline looms. But, alas, no Cork contender.

Ex-dancers, weather forecasters, a man who used to fight for a living, and TV presenters have fallen by the wayside. The remaining presidential hopefuls are a mixed bunch.

One entrepreneur seems to believe that floating a company on the stock exchange is qualification enough to represent the people of Ireland.

With Billy Kelleher losing out to Jim Gavin for the Fianna Fáil nomination, hopes were dashed that Cork might do the political double this year - Taoiseach and President from Cork.

The Áras has hosted Mayo, Dublin, and Longford-born presidents - but never a Cork native. Only two people with solid Cork connections - Adi Roche (1997 election) and Liadh Ní Riada (2018 election) have appeared on the presidential ballot.

For all its proud tradition of producing Taoisigh, ministers, and revolutionaries, Cork has never seen one of its own sworn in as Uachtarán na hÉireann.

What qualities do we look for in a president? Eloquence? Compassion? Pride? Talent to host a good shindig and a gift for small talk must also be high up on the list of desired attributes.

Historically, the office has been dominated by people from political and legal backgrounds, with Douglas Hyde, the cultural leader, a rare exception. Yet........

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