Left-wing Independent TD Catherine Connolly has never held back when it comes to expressing her views, whether on Irish neutrality, women’s rights or the war in Gaza.
In May, she commented regarding the Government’s plans to scrap the triple lock for deploying troops overseas that Ireland’s neutrality is threatened “by the warmongering military industrial complex” in Europe.
She was vocal in the lead-up to the abortion referendum in 2018, insisting the Eighth Amendment “simply has to go” and it is “time to trust women to make decisions”.
Just this month in the Dáil she spoke out on the war in Gaza, accusing Israel of being a “genocidal state”.
RM Block
The Gaeilgeoir Galway West TD, who turns 68 this month, is expected to get enough nominations from the Oireachtas to feature on the ballot paper in this year’s presidential election.
A barrister and clinical psychologist, she is widely respected by many in politics. However, Connolly can also be a divisive figure.
An ally of former MEPs Clare Daly and Mick Wallace, she can expect to face questions on a trip she took with them to Syria during dictator Bashar al-Assad’s time in power.
[ Catherine Connolly says she plans to launch presidential election bid next weekOpens in new window ]
There is also no love lost between her and her former party, Labour.
She was elected to Galway City Council in 1999, but left the party in 2006 when it denied her a chance to run in the 2007 general election as Michael D Higgins’s running mate.
Now she hopes to succeed Mr Higgins as president.
First elected to the Dáil in 2016, Ms Connolly said at the time that Labour had “lost its soul”. Regardless of the history, the party has invited her to address members next week as part of the nominations process.
Ultimately, she will likely not need Labour’s backing to reach the requirement of 20 TDs’ and Senators’ support to enter the race for Áras an Uachtaráin.
Connolly served and Leas-Cheann Comhairle in the last Dáil and she remains a prominent member of the Dáil’s powerful Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
A frequent critic of successive governments, there was little chance that Connolly would be involved in Coalition formation talks after the last election.
She said at the time she did not think Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael would “seriously engage” with her on “radical change” in housing policy and other issues, such as her opposition to US troops using Shannon.
Should she be successful in her election bid, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that this outspoken figure could cause headaches to the Government during her term in office.
