Dana not ruling out bid for Áras

Former presidential candidate Dana Rosemary Scallon has said she hasn't ruled out running for the Irish presidency later this year.

The former MEP and Eurovision winner received almost 14 per cent of the vote when she ran for the presidency in 1997, coming third after Mary McAleese and Mary Banotti. President McAleese's second term of office will end in November.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio's Miriam Meets... show today, Ms Scallon said running for the presidency was not on her radar at the moment.

"But I've learned never to say never Miriam, because I said I wouldn't be a singer and I was,” she said. "I said I'd never be in politics and I was. And as I'm sitting before a prospective candidate as yourself, I'll never say never."

Presenter Miriam O'Callaghan's name was associated with the presidency last year but she issued a statement in August stressing that she would not be standing for the position.

Ms Scallon's brothers John and Gerald, who were also interviewed on the programme, said their sister was constantly being urged to run for election. Her office received "about 80 or 90 calls every week and that's been going on for eight or nine months", they said.

While no parties have yet selected candidates for the presidential election, several public figures have declared their interest in the position.

MEP Mairéad McGuinness has frequently been named as the most likely Fine Gael candidate while both outgoing deputy Michael D Higgins and Barnardos' Fergus Finlay have declared their intention to seek the Labour nomination.

MEP Brian Crowley has often been mentioned as the most likely Fianna Fáil candidate while Independent senator David Norris has declared his intention to run.