When the final tallies rolled in from Dublin Castle on October 25, 2025, the Irish political establishment didn’t just blink—it shuddered. Catherine Connolly, the independent TD from Galway West, hadn't just won the race to succeed Michael D. Higgins. She’d basically steamrolled it.
Winning 63% of the first-preference votes is no small feat. Actually, it’s a record. It is the largest personal mandate ever handed to a single person in the history of the Irish state. But if you think the Catherine Connolly presidential election was just a simple "left versus right" scrap, you've missed the weird, messy reality of what actually happened on the ground.
The Landslide Nobody Saw Coming (Until They Did)
Let’s be real: back in July 2025, nobody was betting the house on Connolly. She was a marginal figure in the national conversation. A barrister, a former psychologist, and a woman who once lost a Dáil seat by a measly 17 votes. She didn't have a massive party machine behind her. She had a bicycle and a few vocal supporters from the Social Democrats and People Before Profit.
Then things got weird.
The establishment candidates sort of... melted. Fianna Fáil’s big hope, Jim Gavin, had to pull out just three weeks before the vote because of a messy financial dispute from years ago. He stayed on the ballot, but he was a ghost candidate. That left Heather Humphreys of Fine Gael to carry the government's banner.
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Humphreys is a solid, capable politician. But in 2025, "solid and capable" felt like "more of the same" to a country drowning in a housing crisis. Connolly didn't just talk about policy; she felt like a protest.
Why the Youth Went Wild for a 68-Year-Old
You’ve probably seen the videos. A 68-year-old grandmother doing keepy-uppies with a football. It went viral. But it wasn't just the "cool granny" vibe. Connolly tapped into a deep, jagged vein of frustration among people under 35.
- Housing Justice: She framed the housing crisis not as a market failure, but as a moral one.
- Gaza and Neutrality: Her fierce criticism of Israel and her refusal to budge on Irish military neutrality struck a chord.
- The "Anti-Establishment" Tag: Even though she’d been in the Dáil for years, she felt like an outsider because she refused to join the big parties.
The Spoiled Ballot Scandal
Here is the part of the Catherine Connolly presidential election that the history books might gloss over if we aren't careful. The turnout was low—around 46%. But the real story was the 213,738 spoiled ballots.
That is roughly 13% of the total votes cast. In some parts of Dublin, one in five people walked into a polling station, looked at the names, and basically wrote "none of the above" or something much ruder.
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It was a "silent landslide" of its own. It showed that while Connolly had a massive mandate, there was a huge chunk of the population that felt totally disconnected from the entire process. Simon Harris, the deputy premier, even admitted it was a sign that the nomination process might need a total overhaul.
What Really Happened with the Syria Trip?
During the campaign, critics tried to nail Connolly to the wall over a 2018 trip to Syria. She had visited Damascus and Aleppo with Clare Daly and Mick Wallace. The accusation? That she was soft on the Assad regime.
Connolly's defense was classic Connolly: blunt and unapologetic. She funded the trip herself. She claimed she didn't say a single word of support for Assad. Instead, she argued she was there to see the human cost of the conflict. To her supporters, it was "independent diplomacy." To her detractors, it was a dangerous flirtation with dictators.
The Reality of the "Ceremonial" Office
Now that she’s in Áras an Uachtaráin, people are asking: what can she actually do?
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In Ireland, the President doesn't make laws. They don't set the budget. They don't even really get to have an "opinion" on daily legislation. They are the guardian of the Constitution.
But as Mary Robinson and Michael D. Higgins proved, the office has a "bully pulpit." Connolly has already signaled she won't be a quiet president. She’s talking about:
- Neutrality: Opposing the "militarization" of the EU.
- Inclusivity: Being a voice for those "excluded and silenced."
- United Ireland: Supporting the "immense opportunity" of Irish unity.
Actionable Insights: What This Means for You
If you’re following Irish politics, don't just look at the 63% win. Look at the shift in the tectonic plates.
- Watch the General Election: This result suggests the "Civil War" parties (Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael) are losing their grip on the narrative.
- The Neutrality Debate is Back: Expect a major cultural clash over Ireland’s role in EU defense over the next seven years.
- The Independent Surge: Connolly’s win proves you don't need a party machine if you have a clear, authentic message that resonates on social media.
The 2025 election wasn't just about picking a new head of state. It was a 1.4-million-person conversation about what Ireland wants to be.
If you want to understand where the country is headed, stop looking at the Dáil for a second. Look at the woman in the Áras who spent her career as a psychologist listening to people before she started leading them.
Next Steps for You:
Check the official President of Ireland website for Connolly's upcoming inaugural speeches. They will set the tone for her first 100 days. You should also keep an eye on the upcoming legislative debates regarding "The Triple Lock" on military neutrality, as this will likely be the first point of friction between the new President and the government.