Catherine Connolly confirms presidential campaign

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

Independent TD Catherine Connolly has said she will seek to become the next President.

The left-wing Galway West representative said she did not make the decision overnight and was doubtful enough about the move, but was convinced by the correspondence she got from people asking her to run.

She outlined the reasons why she decided to run and her vision for the presidency while speaking on RTÉ Raidio na Gaeltachta’s programme Adhmhaidin.

“I was taken aback by the support I received, I wasn’t expecting that level of support from people across the country, in English and Irish,” she said speaking in Irish.

She said she was independent, was “not afraid to speak out” and outlined her vision for the role.

She added: “I will give an ear to everyone, I worked as a clinical psychologist for seven years, and then I worked as a barrister. From that experience I can hear everyone’s opinion.”

On Tuesday, Mairead McGuinness became the first official nominee in the presidential race to replace Michael D Higgins after his term comes to an end in the autumn.

Ms McGuinness, who was a TV presenter and farming journalist before becoming an MEP and EU commissioner, is the nominee to become Fine Gael’s presidential candidate.

Prospective candidates need the support of 20 Oireachtas members to get on the ballot paper.

Fianna Fáil, the party with the most TDs in the Dáil, has not clarified if it will run a candidate and is to make a decision in the early autumn.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has also refused to rule herself out of the running.

Ms Connolly has received the backing of the Social Democrats and People Before Profit, with the Labour Party to “very seriously” consider backing her.

Left-wing independent Ms Connolly worked as a barrister and a clinical psychologist before becoming a councillor for 17 years and spending a term as Galway mayor until 2005.

She resigned from the Labour Party in 2006 after being turned down to be a running mate of then incumbent TD Michael D Higgins.

She was first elected to the Dáil as an independent candidate for Galway West in 2016.

Speaking on Wednesday, she said she did not “fall out” with the Labour Party and said she understood that Labour and Sinn Féin were considering support her, adding she already had the support of more than 20 Oireachtas members.

Asked about who would pay for her campaign, she said the parties that have backed her “were happy” to give her any support she needs, but the details had not yet been worked out.

She was also asked about her stance on the war in Ukraine – about the suggestion that she did not clap during Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s address to the Dáil in April 2022 and whether Ukraine should be sent arms by other countries.

She said she had criticised Russia “many times” and was despondent about the failure of diplomacy in relation to the conflict, but that does not give Russia “any excuse”.

She said she did clap for Mr Zelenskiy in April 2022 but said some journalists reckoned her applause “did not go on long enough or was not strong enough”.

She added: “I want us to use our voice as a neutral country. I am very worried about the direction Europe, the US and other countries are going in. More war does not bring about peace, that is not the way.

“We’re a small country with a particular history and we should use that experience and influence, not just in relation to Russia, but in relation to Israel and Gaza too.”