The five key moments that shaped the presidential election
Presidential poll: Independent candidate Catherine Connolly (left) and Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire
The 2025 presidential election campaign was not short of twists and turns.
With the results now in and Catherine Connolly due to take up the role of President on November 11, it is worth reflecting on the major turning points in the campaign.
The election got its first major shock on August 14, when former EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness confirmed she would be dropping out of the election after a stay in hospital.
The Fine Gael candidate had been the favourite in the early days of the campaign, with Ms McGuinness being a frontrunner for several years ahead of the election.
“My priority now is my health. Given that the election is in a short couple of months, I do not believe that I have the strength to give the campaign my all," Ms McGuinness said at the time.
"I am taking this decision on medical advice, and while it is extremely difficult, it is the right decision for me and my family."
It sent shockwaves through Fine Gael, with the party forced to scramble to find a backup candidate, before it landed on Heather Humphreys — much to the dismay of MEP Sean Kelly.
The 2025 election was never the campaign the party expected.
At the Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said her party’s engagement with the presidential election would be a “game changer”.
It was two days before they confirmed that game changer would be backing Catherine Connolly, ensuring every left-wing party in the Oireachtas was on board with the Independent’s campaign.
While this was lampooned in the media at the time, it’s clear the endorsement expanded the Connolly campaign’s reach and brought more voters into the fold.
Ms McDonald said as much upon arrival at Dublin Castle on Saturday, saying her party’s endorsement of Ms Connolly came “right on time”.
“Sinn Féin arrived at the moment when momentum had to be established and built, and we achieved, with others, precisely that,” Ms McDonald said.
She added Sinn Féin’s endorsement was a “significant element” of the campaign.
Possibly the biggest bombshell of the campaign, however, was the exit of the Fianna Fáil candidate, Jim Gavin.
After a torrid few days of campaign gaffes involving drones, the killer blow for Mr Gavin was his inability to answer questions surrounding the failed repayment of overpaid rent to a former tenant.
Mr Gavin appeared unsure in his responses, failing to respond to questions during an RTÉ debate and afterwards when faced with reporters.
He said he needed to do “research” into the matter.
But at 10.31pm on Sunday, October 5, a statement from Mr Gavin confirmed he was exiting the race, effective immediately.
It blew up Fianna Fáil’s election campaign, leaving Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers red-faced as they dealt with furious backbenchers.
Further revelations outlined that the party had asked Mr Gavin if he had ever had an issue with a previous tenant, which he denied during the party’s candidate vetting process.
It saw a five-hour parliamentary party meeting, where backbenchers let off steam about the nomination process and Mr Martin apologised to TDs and Senators over the botched campaign.
An internal review is now expected to take place, with a four-person review panel set to bring proposals in three weeks’ time.
One element that has been remarked on over and over again throughout the campaign is Catherine Connolly’s footballing finesse.
A video, posted by Sinn Féin, showing Ms Connolly running rings around two children with a basketball and having a go at keepie-uppies was one of the most viral moments of the campaign.
It garnered almost 70,000 likes on Instagram and led to repeated questioning about other talents the president-elect has.
Ms Connolly explained she gained the skill through skipping when she was younger, which translated easily into keepie-uppies.
One of the last-ditch attempts by Fine Gael to claw back the election, as their chances fell away, was an attack video criticising Ms Connolly for her role as a barrister for banks in home repossessions.
The video accused Ms Connolly of hypocrisy, due to her strong criticism of banks in the Dáil.
It essentially outlined that individuals cannot advocate for people in homelessness while having worked for banks that repossessed houses during the period after the crash.
There was some disquiet within Fine Gael over the video, with one parliamentarian saying it was “unnecessary”, while it didn’t help the party fight back against accusations it was attempting to smear the independent candidate.
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