Catherine Connolly

Catherine Martina Ann Connolly (born 12 July 1957) is an Irish politician serving as the president of Ireland since 11 November 2025. She had been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway West constituency from 2016 until her election as president in 2025. Born in Galway, Connolly began her political career as a member of the Labour Party, for which she was elected to Galway City Council in 1999, and was Mayor of Galway from 2004 to 2005. She left the party in 2006 in a dispute over candidate selection. After unsuccessfully contesting the 2007 and 2011 general elections in Galway West as an independent, Connolly was elected to the Dáil in 2016. She became Ireland's first female Leas-Cheann Comhairle, serving in the 33rd Dáil from July 2020 to November 2024. Connolly ran as an independent candidate in the 2025 presidential election, supported by Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats, the Labour Party, People Before Profit, the Green Party, 100% Redress, and several independent Oireachtas members. She defeated Heather Humphreys and Jim Gavin in a landslide victory, with her 914,143 first-preference votes being the largest personal mandate in the history of the Republic of Ireland. She is the third woman to hold the office after Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese. Ideologically described as left-wing or far-left, Connolly describes herself as a socialist and pacifist. A supporter of Irish neutrality, her foreign policy views were described by Politico as "often anti-Western"; she is critical of NATO, the European Union's increased military and defence spending and general European militarisation. Connolly has condemned the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and has also described NATO's attitude toward Russia as "warmongering". An outspoken supporter of Palestine, Connolly is a staunch critic of Israel and has called it a "genocidal state". Connolly advocates for Irish reunification. Domestically, she supported the legalisation of same-sex marriage and the legalisation of abortion. Connolly is an Irish speaker and has previously worked as a clinical psychologist and as a barrister.