Catherine Connolly urges supporters to use their vote, as 'polls don't win elections'

With the Independent candidate 18 points ahead of Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys just over a week out from polling day, things are looking for Catherine Connolly.  Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

As Catherine Connolly took to the podium at a campaign event in The Helix theatre, it was as if the Galway woman had already won the election.

With the Independent candidate 18 points ahead of Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys just over a week out from polling day, barring a complete reversal of fortune, it is almost certain Ms Connolly will be taking up residence in Áras an Uachtaráin.

However, Ms Connolly was not taking anything for granted, urging supporters to head out and vote in a week’s time.

“Poll’s don’t win elections, so we need you to turn out,” she told the crowd.

Ms Connolly was speaking at a panel discussion, which focused on human rights for disabled people and carers, with the Independent candidate outlining her proposal for a new President’s council on disabled citizens and care.

Ms Connolly was joined by Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and Independent Senator Tom Clonan, as well as activists Emma Ward, Blezzing Dada, and Alannah Uí Geargáin.

The proposal from Ms Connolly is to convene, twice yearly, a new forum that brings together people with disabilities and carers to advise on issues such as accessibility standards and help identify communities, projects, and individuals for recognition or awards.

Ms Connolly said she wanted to “lead by example and conscience” .

Ms McDonald took a veiled swipe at Fine Gael’s candidate Heather Humphreys over her campaign slogan, “A President For All”.

“I know that in Catherine, we will have a president for all and that just won’t be a tokenistic piece of spin. That is who she is, and she will represent all of us very proudly,” Ms McDonald said.

Addressing the event, Ms Connolly said she did not find it easy to decide to run for the presidency, saying: “Who would presume to be President of Ireland? I mean, what presumption, what arrogance”.

Independent candidate Catherine Connolly said she did not find it easy to decide to run for the presidency. Picture: Leah Farrell

However, Ms Connolly said she decided after being sent letters, texts, and emails urging her to run.

“The final push that got me to stand was the disrespectful discourse that was going on by elements of the media, the disparaging way they were looking on the role of presidency.

“It was more like Lanigan’s Ball, who stepped in and who stepped out and for me, that was a turning point.”

During a Q&A session at the event, one contributor studying at DCU raised concerns with Ms Connolly about her canvassers using Ms Humphrey’s religious beliefs to discriminate against her.

He said an issue arose where Ms Humphreys had been described as an “Orange Order bitch” by a Connolly campaign canvasser.

In response, Ms Connolly said she “wouldn’t tolerate anything like that”.

“It hasn’t been brought to my attention, you’re bringing it to my attention and I’ll check it,” Ms Connolly said. 

I’m surprised at that, because we have a very good monitoring team and I’ve never tolerated that, ever.

Earlier on Thursday, Ms Connolly responded to questions about an appearance she made on the Vincent Browne show after the Brexit referendum in the UK.

In the clip, Ms Connolly raised concerns about a call to re-run the referendum, while also criticising what she described as a “bullying campaign” by the UK establishment.

She said there were 17m people who voted for the UK to leave the EU.

“I thought it was exposed when we were forced to rerun the Lisbon Treaty. I thought it was exposed during the financial crisis, but unfortunately, the establishment, the politicians that were in power, plus the media, by and large, helped to stop that exposure. I think it’s exposed again now.”

In response to questions, Ms Connolly said she was firmly committed to the EU, but she has always been “constructively critical”.

“I was talking about the importance of democracy and whether I liked the result or not, that was a decision, a sovereign decision.”