Catherine Connolly’s supported by Irish left parties in her bid for president 

By Molly McDaid and Eoin Maher

Galway’s Catherine Connolly will be on the ballot for October 24th’s presidential election, making it a three-horse race for the Áras.

Deputy Connolly, a left-leaning independent politician from Shantalla, believes she best represents the Irish people. Labour Party TD Ciarán Ahern said support for her efforts to vocalise the plight of ‘those too often silenced’ is “resonating across the country.”

The local candidate, who staunchly advocates for safeguarding Irish heritageand neutrality, is confident her leadership will yield a positive change for thecountry. Connolly made it apparent that, if elected, she plans to ‘bring the Presidency back into the heart of our daily lives’. 

Politically, Deputy Connolly acknowledges the pressing issue of climate change, alongside the unrest and dissatisfaction among voters with the current trajectory of Irish politics. She openly supported Marriage Equality and repealing the 8th Amendment in 2018.

Connolly adamantly believes in a free Palestinian state and ending the war occurring in their lands. “We will never accept the normalisation of genocide,” she claims, showcasing unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people. 

Connolly envisions a president who instils hope and promise while providing “a voice for those too often silenced,” she says. With a campaign focused on Ireland’s future, Catherine Connolly believes that “together we can make this country better.”

Deputy Connolly officially launched the campaign on September 23, elicitingsupport from a number of Ireland’s left-wing parties, including Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats, the Green Party, Labour, and People Before Profit. 

Speaking at the launch of her campaign, Sinn Féin’s leader Mary Lou McDonald said, “We are ready to move heaven and earth to elect Catherine Connolly as our next Uachtarán na hÉireann.” 

Since entering Irish politics in 1995 as a member of Galway City Council, Catherine Connolly led a varied and successful career, becoming mayor of her native Galway from 2004 until 2005.

She later joined the Dáil in 2016 for the Galway West Constituency. She is a former member of the Labour Party, leaving in 2007 due to disagreements on candidate selections.

Connolly is the sole independent candidate in next month’s presidential election, alongside Fine Gael’s Heather Humphries and Jim Gavin, running for Fianna Fáil.