Daily Event Logger

Irish people are voting one from 7 candidates as their President today. Among the candidates are a reality TV star, a former Irish Republican Army warlord and the country's top gay-rights crusader.

• Mary Davis, social entrepreneur, disability rights campaigner and best known as organiser of the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Ireland, was nominated by local Councils.
• Seán Gallagher, entrepreneur, panellist on the Dragons' Den television programme and former member of the Fianna Fáil National Executive, was nominated by local Councils.
• Michael D. Higgins, former Minister and TD was selected by the Labour Party.
• Martin McGuinness, deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland was selected by Sinn Féin, and received enough support from independent TDs to be nominated.
• Gay Mitchell, MEP and former TD was selected by Fine Gael.
• David Norris, Senator, scholar and civil rights campaigner, was nominated by local Councils.
• Dana Rosemary Scallon, former MEP, was nominated by local Councils

About 3.2 million Irish citizens are eligible to vote for a successor to President Mary McAleese, Ireland's popular head of state for the past 14 years.

All recent opinion polls have favored Sean Gallagher, a 49-year-old entrepreneur who gained fame as a judge of business talent on an Irish reality TV show, "Dragon's Den."