Mairead McGuinness said she is feeling good now but felt very weak at the time she decided to withdraw from the presidential election race. Photograph: Alan BetsonFormer European commissioner Mairead McGuinness has said she withdrew from last year’s presidential election campaign as a result of a severe bout of post-viral fatigue syndrome. The former MEP and broadcaster cited health reasons when she announced last August that she would not be contesting the election for Fine Gael. I wasn’t sleeping, and it crept up in me very quickly,” she said in an interview on RTÉ Radio’s Brendan O’Connor show. Asked if she felt burnt out at that point, McGuinness replied: “It’s a good description.

Source: The Irish Times February 07, 2026 19:30 UTC