READ MORE- Senator David Norris launches his campaign to become Ireland's first gay president

Ireland’s presidential hopeful, Senator David Norris is overwhelmed by the support he is receiving as he campaigns to become Ireland’s first gay president.

"I have so gloriously come in from the margins and I think we've learnt to accept and celebrate diversity and I'd like to bring in other people who still are marginalized," he said at a public meeting in the Carnegie Arts Centre in Kenmare, Co Kerry, on Monday night.

"I was in Portlaoise on St Patrick's Day, I was the grand marshal and rural Ireland is supposed to be conservative and they're supposed to not want to have anything to do with me but my country people in Laois took me to their hearts.

"They were shouting their approval of me and I just wished that my grandfather, my aunt, my grandmother and my mother were there because they would not have dreamed that somebody from my background, with the marginalized aspects of my life, would have come in so much to the hearts of the Irish people."

Since announcing his bid for presidency, the civil rights campaigner and gay rights activist has received tremendous support and enthusiasm from the Irish public.

The senator has received the support of almost 20,000 Facebook followers and has encouraged people to contact him through the channel of social media.

Norris,a Joycean scholar is an independent runnng against candidates from the established political parties . He is favorite to win the election according to Paddy Power bookmakers who make former Labor member of  Parliament Micheal D.Higgins, his closest contender.