Catherine Connolly: Who is Ireland's new president?
The Independent Galway TD described the decision to run as "torturous," but said she could not ignore those around her urging her to do so. Picture: Ray Ryan
When she is sworn in as President of Ireland next month, Catherine Connolly will crown a political career that began nearly 30 years ago in her native Galway.
The 68-year-old mother of two, who lives in Claddagh, is an Irish speaker who grew up one of 14 siblings — seven boys and seven girls, five of whom were younger than her — in Shantalla.
Her mother died when she was nine years old, which she said may have influenced her becoming a “shy” child.
She said she experienced a “seminal” moment during her childhood when a protest was organised against a Traveller family moving into her locality.
She said her carpenter father, a “very principled” man who made traditional Galway sailing boats, kept her and her siblings away from the protest, but she said she understood then the idea of being both an insider and an outsider.
She went on to hold a teaching role for a Traveller horticultural project in Oranmore for three years while she was studying law.
She said she learned her socialism from being a member of the Legion of Mary and entered competitions as part of the Order of Malta as a young woman. She said she was also involved in meals on wheels for older people.
As a student, she worked as a cleaner, a nurse’s aid in Germany, and a hotel chambermaid, all of which she said helped shape her as a person.
As a young woman, Ms Connolly became active in a campaign to have tennis courts installed in her home area. She later earned a master's degree in clinical psychology from the University of Leeds in 1981, before moving back to the Claddagh area of Galway in 1988.
She married woodwork teacher Brian McEnery in 1992 and the couple have two adult children. In 1991, she qualified as a barrister and began practising.
She joined the Labour Party after the 1997 general election, having canvassed for Michael D Higgins, fast appearing as the TD's natural successor.
She would be elected to the Galway Corporation in 1999 and become the Mayor of Galway in 2004. Her position as Mr Higgins' successor, however, did not materialise as she would be denied the chance to join him on the Labour ticket in 2007. The event led to her leaving the party, with Ms Connolly instead running as an independent, taking 3.7% of the vote.
It is a quirk of fate that Ms Connolly will succeed Mr Higgins as the next occupant of Áras an Uachtaráin.
In 2011, she missed out on election to the Dáil by just 17 votes, missing out on the last Galway West seat to Fine Gael's Sean Kyne. But in 2016 she saw herself elected, as Labour's Derek Nolan lost the seat he had taken in 2011.
She would retain her seat in 2020 and would make history in being elected as Leas Ceann Comhairle, beating the agreed government candidate, Fine Gael's Fergus O'Dowd. It was the first time a woman had ever been elected as either Ceann Comhairle or Leas Ceann Comhairle in the 101 years of Dáil Éireann.
While she did not retain her role as Leas Ceann Comhairle in the new Dáil earlier this year, speculation had already turned to another, higher role. She was tagged early as a potential presidential candidate for the combined left, and finally, in July, she announced she would run.
The Independent Galway TD described the decision to run as "torturous," but said she could not ignore those around her urging her to do so.
"I do so with humility and with hope, and I do so with the deep conviction that together we can make this country better and that we can make this country live up to its name, the republic, and show that there is a different way," Ms Connolly said.
In a later interview, she would say that she identified with underdogs.
“All my life, I suppose I [have been] the underdog, but I don’t really take polls on too seriously,” she told the PA news agency.
“I feel I stood for the reasons I’ve outlined, and over 12,000 volunteers have come on board, the parties have come on board.
“I have emphasised at every point that I’m an Independent candidate who wants to draw support from all parties and none.”
Over the course of her career, she has been vocal on the issue of Palestine and protecting Ireland’s military neutrality, and has criticised the US military’s use of Shannon Airport.
Since declaring her intention to run for the presidency, Ms Connolly’s campaign has focused on Irish culture and helping citizens to “find their voice”.
Fundraising music sessions and community forums have been held as part of her campaign, with her branding aiming to pay homage to traditional craftspeople and shopfront signage.
During the campaign, she has been asked about her judgment over giving a woman with a gun possession conviction access to the Dáil for six months.
She was also asked about a 2018 trip to Syria, her work as a barrister, and about her criticism of the EU.
She also gained attention for her footballing skills after a video was posted online of her doing keepy-uppies.
The former marathon and triathlon participant said she gained the skill from her “athletic” family and from skipping — adding that she used to be able to do 100 solos a go.
In one of the many podcast interviews she did as part of her electoral campaign, she said that, in 1995, she took part in a 10K run in Galway while five months pregnant.
In keeping with her athletic campaign, she cycled to and from her local polling station on Friday after going for a swim at her local leisure centre.
She took a moment after voting to read students’ messages hanging in the polling station about outgoing president Michael D Higgins.
Ms Connolly then met her aunt, Cathleen Flannery, who was recently released from hospital, and took her into the polling station in a wheelchair before emerging again to chat with other voters.
She said that she has had very little time on the campaign, but has a sister that bought her three jackets which she has been wearing during the campaign.
- additional reporting from PA
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