Presidential candidate Seán Gallagher has admitted it took him a long time to get over the ‘Tweetgate’ controversy at the end of his 2011 run for the office.

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, the businessman said he was unconvincing in his response when a fake tweet was put to him during a Presidential debate.

Mr Gallagher had been leading in the polls until then and has since received an apology and a sizeable lump sum as part of a settlement with RTÉ.

He told Shane Coleman that he feels he was unfairly treated the last time around.

“Live on air, you get thrown,” he said.

“Unfortunately that happened and people switched.

“I had to spend the last six years fighting that case.

“I wouldn’t say [I was] scarred but [...] I felt in my heart that I had to come back and get justice. Justice and fairness.”

'Tweetgate'

He said the way the programme was handled was “unfair.”

“A false tweet and a fake Twitter account caused me to momentarily doubt my own memory,” he said.

“I think people who were at home watching that – and many people who have said to me since – had considered voting for me up to that point, but thought that I looked unconvincing in my answer.”

Objectives

In a wide-ranging interview, Mr Gallagher also touched upon the controversy over un-audited State funding to the President’s office – and the key objectives he has identified for his run.

He said he would use the Presidency to push for a united Ireland if elected – noting that he would like to address local authorities in the North as head of State in the Republic.

He has said that partition has not served the people of Ireland well in the past and won’t do so in the future – and said he would like to use the office Ireland to bring communities and individuals together.

Business experience 

He also said he wants to use his “business and life experience to coach and mentor young people" and "build communities" and pledged to focus on tackling some of the stigmas that face people who are living with disability..

"I've a number of key objectives,” he said.

“I've struggled with a visual impairment, I would like, in seven years time, I would like to change the perception of people with disabilities in the public."

You can listen back to Mr Gallagher’s full interview on Newstalk Breakfast here: