Catherine Connolly has made history as the 10th president of Ireland, securing a landslide victory with an unprecedented 63% of first preference votes. The 68-year-old from Galway, who ran as an independent candidate backed by major left-wing parties, has become the country's head of state.
Connolly, a member of the Irish parliament since 2016, pledged to be "an inclusive president for all" in her acceptance speech. She secured over 914,000 first preference votes, the largest amount in presidential election history. Her campaign was seen as an anti-establishment move, taking on Fine Gael's Heather Humphreys, who had already conceded to Connolly's rival.
Humphreys thanked everyone who voted for her and acknowledged that she would be "a president for all of us." The president-elect will be inaugurated on November 11th with outgoing President Michael D Higgins leaving office the day before.
Connolly has established herself as a united Ireland candidate, seeking to establish a border poll during her presidency. The result marks an era of hope in Northern Ireland, where First Minister Michelle O'Neill described it as "an era of hope." Taoiseach Micheál Martin hailed Connolly's election as an outstanding honour, describing the people's decision as "resoundingly" in favour of change and progress.
Sinn Féin, the main opposition party, gave its support to Connolly after deciding not to run its own candidate. The party's president Mary Lou McDonald described the result as a "stunning victory."
Connolly, a member of the Irish parliament since 2016, pledged to be "an inclusive president for all" in her acceptance speech. She secured over 914,000 first preference votes, the largest amount in presidential election history. Her campaign was seen as an anti-establishment move, taking on Fine Gael's Heather Humphreys, who had already conceded to Connolly's rival.
Humphreys thanked everyone who voted for her and acknowledged that she would be "a president for all of us." The president-elect will be inaugurated on November 11th with outgoing President Michael D Higgins leaving office the day before.
Connolly has established herself as a united Ireland candidate, seeking to establish a border poll during her presidency. The result marks an era of hope in Northern Ireland, where First Minister Michelle O'Neill described it as "an era of hope." Taoiseach Micheál Martin hailed Connolly's election as an outstanding honour, describing the people's decision as "resoundingly" in favour of change and progress.
Sinn Féin, the main opposition party, gave its support to Connolly after deciding not to run its own candidate. The party's president Mary Lou McDonald described the result as a "stunning victory."
- it's so clean and easy on the eyes! but you know what would make it even better? more subheadings and bullet points to break up all the text 
. seriously though, Catherine Connolly seems like a total rockstar as the 10th president of Ireland 
. I mean, an unprecedented 63% of first preference votes is pretty impressive! 
and I love that she's already started talking about establishing a border poll during her presidency - it sounds like she really wants to make some changes in Northern Ireland 
. what do you guys think? should we be keeping an eye on her presidency? 
I'm definitely excited to see where Catherine Connolly takes Ireland next. As an independent candidate, she's got a unique chance to shake things up and bring people together. I mean, 63% of first preference votes is a lot – it's clear the Irish people are hungry for change. 
and i gotta say, it feels like a breath of fresh air 
she campaigned on being inclusive and taking on the establishment, and it seems like the ppl have spoken in unison 
with her winning by a landslide. hope this new era brings some positivity to northern ireland 
gotta be interesting to see how that plays out...and btw, catherine connolly is only 68 tho, still got plenty of time to make a difference 
63% is insane! she's gonna be so awesome, all about unity and change 
i love how she spoke to everyone, no politics or drama just pure positivity 
. the fact that she won with such a huge margin is so inspiring, it shows people are ready for something new and exciting 
. can't wait to see what she does during her presidency 
, and yay for hope in Northern Ireland too 
. I'm hella excited for the unity Ireland thing 
, maybe we'll finally get that border poll sorted out 
. Can't wait to see what she does in office 
! November 11th is gonna be lit 
!
63% of first preference votes is insane! 
also nice to see northern ireland having hope for the future 
and heather humphreys was super gracious in conceding... might be time for some fresh faces in politics 
. still, it's nice to see a change in the leadership and hopefully she'll be able to bring people together rather than drive them apart 
. It's easy to say one thing and then not deliver when you're in power. Let's see what she actually does before we start celebrating 
. michelle o'Neill is literally beaming with joy over here 
and i don't blame her one bit 
. also gotta give a shoutout to heather humphreys for being such a good sport 
. She's got some big shoes to fill tho, and I hope she can live up to being an "inclusive president for all"... it's gonna be interesting to see how she does with the whole united Ireland thing 
. And yaaas to Sinn Féin giving their support, that's dope! 
Can't believe they're still using that old system with first preference votes 
And what's up with the 63% landslide? Is that really a fair representation of how people feel about her policies? 
. Hope it doesn't lead to another divided country situation 
.