Conor McGregor has finally signed an eye-watering deal to fight Floyd Mayweather, meaning that he is set to evolve beyond the need for human form and become a literal money-making machine.
Not so long ago, there was talk that McGregor may be literally minted, and appear on the back of the €1 coin here in Ireland. That might sound odd, but as proposals go, it turns out it wasn't all that far-fetched.
Here are some of the strangest requests and petitions that have come across the desks (or not) of our politicians.
McGregor Money
The petition garnered enough signatures to be brought before the Dáil, thanks to the flawless logic of the argument put forward for it:
However, it has sadly been rejected, as the instigator of the petition was unable to be contacted.
For a petition to be successful, it must comply with Standing Orders, which state that a petition may not contain the name of an individual or individuals and cannot be deemed "frivolous or vexatious".
The joke is on them anyway, since he's signed a nine-figure deal for a fight where there is literally nothing on the line for him.
A Video Game Nasty
Mr Stephen Dwan launched a petition in December 2012 to have Video Games included on the English curriculum, along with the works of Shakespeare. Mr Dwan argued his case in considerable detail:
Status: Considered by the committee on February 27, 2013, Mr. Dwan's petition was sadly was rejected. If you are a Leaving Cert student currently struggling your way through Hamlet: it could have been so different.
Duck Donald
There are two separate petitions calling on Ireland to ban renowned bollocks and US President Donald Trump from Ireland, from Mr Aniq Jawad and Ms Elaine Mernagh.
No reasons are given, perhaps they correctly believe their argument is self-evident. A citizen of the UK launched a similar petition a while back, asking the United Kingdom to ban Trump on grounds of hate speech, and he canceled his state visit there also.
Status: Ireland famously gave Trump a warm welcome the last time he visited, with Michael Noonan greeting the US tycoon on the tarmac as he disembarked his plane so it's a bit too late there lads. Trump also owns a hotel and golf course at Doonbeg, County Clare.
Censoring The Censors
Mr Robert O'Donnell has called on the country to ban the Irish Film Classification Office. Exactly why, we don't know. Perhaps Mr. O'Donnell simply wants to bring renewed attention to a great philosophical question regarding the wielding of power: 'Quis custodiet ipsos custodes' - who will guard the guardians themselves?
Status: The petition lapsed when the Dáil was last dissolved, and we're not holding our breath that it will get back in again.
A Song For Europe
Here is our favourite petition. It came from a 'MR Finn McCool', and calls on the Irish government to "Legislate to make 'My Lovely Horse' Irelands entry for Eurovision 2015". McCool submitted it on the behalf of 'The People of Ireland (and interested Britons too)'.
Status: It was sadly ruled as being Non-Admissable. However, we feel it should be re-opened for next year, and finally get us back to winning ways after some years spent lost in the Eurovision wilderness. We need to reclaim our crown.
This information, along with some truly worthy petitions, is available on the Oireachtas website.
