Overview

• Gareth Sheridan narrowly lost a Meath County Council vote 14–13, leaving him stuck on two council nominations from Kerry and Tipperary and still two short of the four required.
• His team plans further pitches to Offaly and Louth councils today, having downplayed an administrative glitch linked to paperwork for Louth.
• Independent hopeful Maria Steen has 13 Oireachtas backers and needs 20, with a meeting of the four-strong Independent Ireland TD group seen as pivotal to her bid.
• Independent Catherine Connolly launches her campaign in Dublin this evening after securing support from Sinn Féin, Labour, the Social Democrats, the Greens and People Before Profit.
• Fianna Fáil’s Jim Gavin and Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys have formally lodged nomination papers, and Gavin says he has asked platforms and the media regulator to act on false online posts about him.