Short campaign made it hard to build momentum: Sean Gallagher

Presidential candidate Sean Gallagher has said he found it “hard to build a momentum” during the campaign, as he reflected on a poor result.

Despite winning half a million votes in the 2011 poll, he failed to gain any ground in this election and it is suggested he only secured 7% of the vote.

The businessman conceded victory to President Michael D Higgins around midday on Saturday after exit polls showed the incumbent was set for a considerable victory.

Mr Gallagher was touted early on in the campaign to come second to Mr Higgins, before a late surge in popularity for fellow candidate Peter Casey.

Speaking at Dublin Castle, Mr Gallagher said: “Today is not a day for post-mortems.

“It’s Michael D’s day, he’s being re-elected, so I wish him well.

“I look forward to saying a few words later to do that and to wish all the other candidates well for their participation.

“I focus, too, on my team for the great work they have done.

“It’s a great honour and privilege to have the team work with me, and to all those who voted for me to acknowledge their support and thank them sincerely.

“And also my wife, who continues to be my rock and supports me.

“I would love to have gotten a better result, but that’s the nature of elections and the people have spoken.

“The challenges of this campaign was it was a very short one and hard to build a momentum, and that’s not making any excuses.”

The businessman was considered a front-runner in the 2011 presidential race until an incident involving a fake tweet during a live TV debate saw his polling numbers plummet.

He later received “substantial” damages and an apology from RTE in a settlement against the state broadcaster.

Mr Gallagher confirmed he would run for a second time in August and at the time said the Irish people have an “opportunity to redefine the role of president in the context of a changing society, while cherishing all that is unique about Ireland”.

He went on to secure the backing of four county councils.

Mr Gallagher avoided controversy during the campaign and was often found defending other candidates during debates.

His message centred around his advocacy for disabled people and youth work.

However, he was criticised for refusing to take part in debates which did not include all the candidates, and he failed to make an impact with early exit polls putting him in fourth place.

The businessman is expected to lose his election deposit as candidates need to poll higher than 12.5% to get their deposit back.