This year we will elect a new president of Ireland, with Micheal D Higgins's stint coming to an end after serving the maximum two terms allowed under the condition.

The constitution mandates that only those who are 18 or over, hold Irish citizenship and are ordinarily resident in Ireland can vote in the upcoming election.

However, some believe this right should be extended to Irish citizens living abroad.

Spokesperson for VotingRights.ie Emma de Souza joined The Pat Kenny Show to discuss the role of the Irish disapora in our electoral process.

"I think that a really important point here to bring up is that voting for citizen's living outside of the State, living abroad, is a global democratic norm, 125 countries and territories do this," she said.

"It is not controversial, it's actually something that is part of being a citizen - Ireland really is an outlier here.

"We have evidence from... that when citizens are given a chance to consider this topic they support extending the franchise for Irish citizens for the presidential election."

You can listen back to the full episode here:

Main image: Aras an Uachtarain (official residence of the President of Ireland) in Dublin, Ireland