Michael D Higgins has confirmed that he is to seek the Labour Party nomination for the Presidency.

The Galway West TD said he believes he has the capacity and experience to fulfil the role in a creative and imaginative way.

Last week, Barnardos Chief Executive Fergus Finlay announced he would also be seeking the Labour nomination.

Mr Higgins first expressed an interest in standing for the presidency seven years ago and said he spent the summer thinking about whether he would seek the Labour nomination this time.

Now he has made up his mind and has told the Labour parliamentary party that he intends to put his name forward.

Mr Higgins said Ireland needs a discourse about what kind of country it wants, the relationship between society and the economy, the rise of individualism and its role in Europe.

He said one of the central themes of his campaign would be about defining what active citizenship entails.

He said he is confident that he has a 'very good' chance of securing his party's nomination.

If he were to be elected, the former minister said he would only serve one term of office and would not seek re-election in 2018.

This evening, Mr Higgins told RTÉ Nuacht that he will not be standing for re-election as a TD if a General Election is called before the Presidential Election.