Veteran independent lawmaker Catherine Connolly is set to be Ireland’s new president after Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys conceded in the election.
It brings to an end the seven-year term of popular incumbent Michael D Higgins, a former Labour Party culture minister.
The election also marks the third time a woman has held the presidency after Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese.
The Irish president, while head of state, has limited constitutional powers and is seen as a mostly ceremonial role, with centre-right Taoiseach (prime minister) Micheál Martin having far more influence and power.
Yet the winner says plenty about the state of Irish society and the country’s politics.
Here’s what you need to know about Ms Connolly.
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The left-wing independent candidate, 68, a self-proclaimed “underdog”, has referred to herself as a representative of a “movement” and a “voice for peace” and “unity”.
Despite being an independent, Ms Connolly has united the majority of left-wing parties, including the largest opposition member Sinn Fein, which opted not to put forward a candidate of its own in the election, along with the Social Democrats and Labour.
Her election comes barely a year after Sinn Fein’s bid to break the governing Fianna Fail and Fine Gael parties’ century-long grip on power fell short.
Ms Connolly was a Labour councillor for 17 years, spending a term as Galway mayor until 2005.
She left the Labour party in 2007, and, after an unsuccessful campaign in 2011, was elected as an independent Teachta Dala (TD) – the equivalent of an MP – in 2016.
She became the first female deputy chairperson of the lower house of the Irish parliament in 2020.
Her election comes at a tumultuous time in the country’s capital, where daily riots have been taking place following an alleged sexual assault involving a 10-year-old girl outside a hotel on Monday.
Controversy over hard-line views on Gaza
She has been a leading pro-Palestinian voice in parliament, strongly criticising Israel’s actions in the Gaza war.
Ireland is one of the most pro-Palestinian EU member states, with the centre-right coalition government voicing support for a two-state solution, along with major opposition parties.
But Ms Connolly’s views have been branded more extreme by her critics, including Mr Martin, who in September accused her of being “reluctant to unequivocally condemn” the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas in Israel.
She had told BBC Radio Ulster: “What happened on October 7, I’m on record for condemning, but history did not start on October 7.
“It’s important to point that out and to look back on the history and the many, many atrocities committed by the Israeli government through their army.”
She later added that “what happened on October 7 was wrong, absolutely wrong,” but that it was “not comparable” with what she called the “genocide” in Gaza.
She also criticised UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer after he announced the UK’s recognition of a Palestinian state, saying he should not have stipulated that Hamas could have no role in the new government.
She said Hamas was part of the “fabric of the Palestinian people,” adding: “I come from Ireland which has a history of colonisation. I would be very wary of telling a sovereign people how to run their country.
“The Palestinians must decide, in a democratic way, who they want to lead their country.”
Hamas is a proscribed group in the UK and considered a terrorist organisation.
What else does Connolly stand for?
Throughout her time in government, she has remained a long-time critic of the European Union in one of the bloc’s most pro-EU member states.
Government ministers have repeatedly attacked her track record of opposing referendums to deepen Ireland’s integration with the EU, but it did not become a major talking point during her campaign.
She has also been a vocal critic of Ireland’s increased military spending, which it plans to up from $1.1bn in 2022 to $1.5bn by 2028 to address shortages.
But her campaign was kept largely light, focusing on Irish culture and helping citizens to “find their voice”, with her branding aimed at paying homage to traditional craftspeople and shopfront signage.
Ms Connolly also gained attention online for her footballing skills after a video was posted online of her doing ‘keepy uppies’.
There was speculation her football skills had been edited with AI, but 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 per go.
Celebrities dropped out of race
This election marked the first two-candidate race for Irish presidency since 1973, as an initially competitive-looking race ended up predictable.
A third candidate, the Fianna Fail-backed Jim Gavin, pulled out of the race just weeks before the vote over claims he owed a former tenant €3,000 (£2,600) in overpaid rent dating back 16 years.
The former Gaelic football manager apologised when the claims surfaced, saying he “made a mistake that was not in keeping with my character”.
Landlords are often reviled in Ireland due to historical and cultural reasons dating back to the Great Famine and earlier.
The largely symbolic role of president also attracted controversial MMA fighter Conor McGregor and the creator and former star of Riverdance Michael Flatley to enter the race early on.
McGregor got international backing from the likes of Elon Musk and Andrew Tate, but he would have needed to be nominated either by 20 members of the Irish parliament or four local authorities – a task which proved impossible.
He withdrew his name in September, claiming the election eligibility rules in Ireland’s “outdated constitution” were a “straitjacket” that prevented a “true democratic presidential election being contested”.
Flatley also dropped out in September, saying he “must put my family and my health first” and that he felt he could “better serve the Irish people by continuing my work promoting Ireland and Irish culture globally”.
What is Connolly’s background and family life?
Before politics, she worked as a barrister and a clinical psychologist.
Her opponent for the presidency attempted to use her background as barrister against her, suggesting she capitalised on Ireland’s property crash by representing banks in home repossession cases.
Ms Connolly, who called Ms Humphreys’ comments a “new low”, accepted that she did work for financial institutions, but said she represented all types of clients.
Ms Connolly is a mother of two children and has been married to husband Brian McEnery for more than 30 years.
She grew up as one of 13 siblings – seven boys and seven girls, five of whom were younger than her – in Shantalla, Co Galway.
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Her mother died when she was nine, and she was raised by her father, who she said was a “very principled” man.
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.
She also held a teaching role for a Traveller horticultural project in Oranmore for three years while studying law.
