Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I think he should be much more at ease because we are not corralling him in with others but are giving him due deference, status and prominence as a standalone entity. The President is elected by the people under our Constitution. That is very important. When I thought about the office of the President, the idea was that other constitutional officeholders that are appointed by the Cabinet, or even judges, should not be in the same position as somebody elected by popular vote of the people.