Presidential candidate was at Tullamore Show, but this is her first Ploughing

PRESIDENTIAL candidate Catherine Connolly said she was at this year's Tullamore Show but she had not attended the National Ploughing before.

“It's my first visit to the Ploughing Championships,” she told reporters when she toured the Screggan site.

However, she has attended at least three agricultural shows this summer. “I've been all over the country including Bonniconlon in North Mayo, Ballyshannon and in Tullamore.”

The Galway woman, who has served as Leas Cheann Comhairle in the Dail, was asked to respond to the “blackface” controversy surrounding Eoin Hayes, a TD and member of the Social Democrats, the party which is supporting her in the race for the Aras.

Deputy Hayes apologised after the Irish Daily Mail revealed he had worn brown make-up while impersonating Barack Obama at a Halloween party 16 years ago.

Deputy Connolly said: “Different issues arise at different times for parties, for all of us in our lives to reflect on what we might have done or said.”

She added: “We have all said and done things in our lives... We've said many racist things in our past but we didn't think it was racist but it's appalling, unacceptable, but we should all learn.

“I taught the Travellers for three years, I was witness to what they suffer and the racist comments made. So we should all learn and I don't think it's something to decry as such, it's something to learn from.”

The independent candidate is one of 14 siblings and that experience, along with her work as a mother of two, a psychologist, barrister, teacher and TD and Dail Leas Cheann Comhairle, taught her to listen, she said.

“All of that experience has given me the ability to perform in different roles to the best of my ability in the most professional way possible. I have a strong work ethic, a strong sense of integrity. I take no credit for that, it came from my father and my mother.”

Deputy Connolly was asked if the presidency would constrain her ability to speak out and she referred to how she had met and greeted people like President Joe Biden and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in her role as Leas Cheann Comhairle.

“I had serious issues with [President Biden's] foreign policy and I still performed my role as Leas Cheann Comhairle.”

On President Van der Leyen she said she spoke a few words of German to her when they met but added: “I certainly would disagree with her on her statements on Israel and standing shoulder to shoulder with Netanyahu.”

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She spoke of the threat of climate change and said she believed the people are now “at a crucial point”.

“It's important we have a president who has courage, who can take courage in hand and stand up against the consensus that is not in our interest. I take the Constitution very seriously, I've worked in many different roles and it has given me the skills to care, to reflect the values held dearly by the majority of people in Ireland. They are the values of solidarity, compassion and empathy with the people.”

Deputy Connolly, a fluent Irish speaker and former member of the Labour Party, also spoke of the importance of the Irish language saying it must be respected as “part of our heritage, part of our culture and part of our Constitution”.