Catherine Connolly says she will seek to become Ireland's next president
The left-wing Galway West representative said she did not make the decision overnight and was doubtful enough about the move, but was convinced by the correspondence she got from people asking her to run.
She outlined the reasons why she decided to run and her vision for the presidency while speaking on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta's programme Adhmhaidin.
'I was taken aback by the support I received, I wasn't expecting that level of support from people across the country, in English and Irish,' she said speaking in Irish.
She said she was independent, was 'not afraid to speak out' and outlined her vision for the role.
She added: 'I will give an ear to everyone, I worked as a clinical psychologist for seven years, and then I worked as a barrister. From that experience I can hear everyone's opinion.'
On Tuesday, Mairéad McGuinness became the first official nominee in the presidential race to replace Michael D Higgins after his term comes to an end in the autumn.
Ms McGuinness, who was a TV presenter and farming journalist before becoming an MEP and EU commissioner, is the nominee to become Fine Gael's presidential candidate.
Prospective candidates need the support of 20 Oireachtas members to get on the ballot paper.
Fianna Fáil, the party with the most TDs in the Dail, has not clarified if it will run a candidate and is to make a decision in the early autumn.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has also refused to rule herself out of the running.
Ms Connolly has received the backing of the Social Democrats and People Before Profit, with the Labour Party to 'very seriously' consider backing her.
Left-wing independent Ms Connolly worked as a barrister and a clinical psychologist before becoming a councillor for 17 years and spending a term as Galway mayor until 2005.
She resigned from the Labour Party in 2006 after being turned down to be a running mate of then incumbent TD Michael D Higgins.
She was first elected to the Dail as an independent candidate for Galway West in 2016.
Speaking on Wednesday, she said she did not 'fall out' with the Labour Party and said she understood that Labour and Sinn Féin were considering support her, adding she already had the support of more than 20 Oireachtas members.
Asked about who would pay for her campaign, she said the parties that have backed her 'were happy' to give her any support she needs, but the details had not yet been worked out.
She was also asked about her stance on the war in Ukraine — about the suggestion that she did not clap during Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address to the Dail in April 2022 and whether Ukraine should be sent arms by other countries.
She said she had criticised Russia 'many times' and was despondent about the failure of diplomacy in relation to the conflict, but that does not give Russia 'any excuse'.
She said she did clap for Mr Zelensky in April 2022 but said some journalists reckoned her applause 'did not go on long enough or was not strong enough'.
She added: 'I want us to use our voice as a neutral country. I am very worried about the direction Europe, the US and other countries are going in. More war does not bring about peace, that is not the way.
'We're a small country with a particular history and we should use that experience and influence, not just in relation to Russia, but in relation to Israel and Gaza too.'
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Irish Daily Mirror
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RTÉ News
39 minutes ago
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Silence on Gaza will be 'moral failure', says President
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Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Why we have a monument to the Duke of Wellington in Tipperary
At the highest point of the Grange Crag Loop in County Tipperary, walkers may be surprised to discover an odd-to-behold structure whose purpose appears to defy rational explanation. To uncover the story of why it was constructed, we must transport ourselves back to the end of the 18th century and a turbulent time in Irish history. Having survived centuries of rebellion and conflict, the Protestant Ascendancy were, at this time, feeling somewhat secure. Having enjoyed 80 years of relative peace, they now felt comfortable enough to assert themselves. Surfing a huge wave of popular enthusiasm and supported by the threat of violence if his demands were not met, Henry Grattan, leader of the Irish Patriot Party, secured an Independent Irish parliament in 1782. Kilcooley House One of his strongest supporters was William Barker of Kilcooley House, County Tipperary. A Whig (Liberal) MP, he also favoured the emancipation of Catholics from penal laws and some easements were immediately granted by the new legislature. This led to fears in Britain that allowing full voting rights for Catholics would create a hostile parliament in Ireland. Then came the French Revolution and the abolition of the hereditary aristocracy in France, with many of its members executed or forced to flee. Drawing upon the egalitarian ideas of revolutionary France, the radical United Irishmen soon espoused a similar idea: a republic where there would be no inherited privilege. The subsequent 1798 rebellion, which was supported by a French invasion of Ireland and had atrocities committed by both sides, shook the Irish aristocracy to its core. With an understandable human desire to keep their heads attached to their bodies, the ascendancy classes were now looking to Britain for safety. If this meant reestablishing a parliamentary union with Britain, it seemed a small price to pay. Forced to flee to England during the 1798 Rebellion, it is perhaps unsurprising that Sir William Barker changed his mind and voted for the perceived security afforded by an Act of Union with Britain. The Wellington Monument in Phoenix Park The fear remained, however, that Napoleon would invade Ireland and create a Catholic state for a Catholic people. Doubtless, a sigh of relief was emitted by the Protestant Ascendancy when 'The Little General' was defeated by the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo. Monuments to the Duke were built by the much-relieved Irish aristocracy in Dublin's Phoenix Park; in Trim, County Meath; and by Sir William Barker at Grange, County Tipperary. The Wellington Monument, Grange. Picture: John G O'Dwyer To access this Tipperary monument, start from the carpark at the entrance to the Grange Crag Loop, located about six kilometres south of Urlingford. Follow the woodland tracks to reach an incongruous-looking building that once served as the deep freeze for Kilcooley House. Blocks of ice were cut from frozen ponds and transported to what was known as the icehouse, where they were stacked between layers of straw to create a microclimate where food would be preserved. Next, continue to a three-way junction where the arrows lead right. Ascend to another junction, where a sharp left joins a forestry road that ascends for about a kilometre to an intersection where the way is right. View of magnificently carved doorway in south transept at Kilcooly Abbey, County Tipperary. /taken from Ancient Ireland: Exploring Irish Historic Monuments by Tarquin Blake and Fiona Reilly, published by The Collins Press, 2013 Soon after, a track on the left takes you steeply uphill to reach the aforementioned Wellington Monument. Such edifices are generally referred to as follies, but mostly they served a purpose. Not only does this monument commemorate the Duke of Wellington, it also provides a focal point to draw people to a high point where they would be impressed by fine views of the Kilcooley Estate and the nearby Cistercian monastery. A daughter house of Holycross Abbey, it was built on land granted by Donal Mór O'Brien, the last king of Munster but was later dissolved following the English Reformation. Its extensive estates then passed to the Earls of Ormonde until purchased later by the Barker family. Nearby, but almost obscured among woodlands, the great house at Kilcooley was first built in the late 18th century. Now in a sad state of decay, the present-day Palladian mansion dates from 1843 and was constructed after a great fire in 1839 destroyed the original structure. This conflagration began when a butler, who had been dismissed from his employment by the then-owner of Kilcooley, William Barker Ponsonby, set one of the chimneys alight — so the old saying "always keep the butler onside" seems appropriate here. Walkers on Grange Crag Loop. Picture: John G O'Dwyer Soon, the views are obscured when you enter mature broadleaf woodland and swing right to descend by a stream and exit onto a track. Continue (left) following green and purple arrows along the woodland track for almost one kilometre. Follow the walking arrows sharply right and then take the next left, which allows you re-join your outward route after an outing of about two hours. Afterwards, as an added treat, quench your thirst in the old-world charm of Hogan's pub, Grange village.
