Heather Humphreys recalls attending Orange Order parades at campaign launch

Ms Humphreys launched her campaign in her home county of Monaghan on Saturday, close to the border with Northern Ireland.

Fine Gael presidential candidate Heather Humphreys referenced her Protestant heritage on the campaign trail. Picture: Fergal Phillips/PA

Irish presidential hopeful Heather Humphreys has said she attended Orange Order parades as a child but stopped going when the Troubles broke out.

The Fine Gael candidate, who is a Presbyterian, said she would now vote for Irish unity and that she was an example to unionists in Northern Ireland of Irish “tolerance and inclusivity”.