“She’s been really clear on her vision,” said Sarah Conroy as she exited a polling station in Smithfield, Dublin, on Friday afternoon.
It was the first presidential election in which the 33-year-old cast her vote. She added: “With Heather Humphreys, I don’t really know what she stands for, other than she’s in Fine Gael.”
This was a view held by the vast majority of the 35 first-time voters who spoke to The Irish Times at polling stations in the capital.
“Relatable”, “highly moral”, “well-spoken”, “keepie-uppies” and “TikTok” were commonly referenced by those who voted for Independent candidate Catherine Connolly.
RM Block
Almost all mentioned social media, particularly TikTok, when asked where they sourced their information before choosing a candidate. Out of 35 first-time voters, 29 voted for Connolly, five spoiled votes and one voted for Humphreys.
Voter Sarah Conroy believed Humphreys’s campaign was largely focused on “attacking” her rival candidate, rather than setting out her own vision.
“It’s not been a great look,” she said.
Some specifically described powerful curated clips showing Connolly’s best bits during debates, interviews, or from her time as a TD in the Dáil.
A select few who were not steadfast Connolly supporters from the get-go, meanwhile, said their votes were ultimately swayed following the final televised debate between the two candidates on Tuesday.
The sole first-time voter who chose Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys was a 23-year-old who cast her vote in Drumcondra.
She said she would rather a president who “does not offend multiple countries”.
“If something happens abroad, I’d like someone who can deal with that well,” she said.
The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said she was concerned about the global state of affairs, adding: “And for that, I’m willing to sacrifice someone being able to speak Irish.”
Brian Ó Curnain, a 24-year-old Gaeilgeoir voting in Ranelagh, south Dublin, said Connolly’s fluency in the language was “really important”.
Others described her use of Irish as “relaxing”, while some said she would be an ideal “representative of Irish culture”.
Connolly’s fluency in Irish, her strong stance on Palestine, or both, was cited by virtually all of the 29 who voted for her.
Some had more niche reasons.
“She’s one of the girls’ aunties,” said Luis Byrne, a 24-year-old originally from Co Waterford.
Standing outside a polling station in Ranelagh, he added that Fianna Fáil candidate Jim Gavin’s withdrawal from the campaign was a “bit of an upset”.
Another first-time voter, an XL Bully owner in Smithfield who did not wish to be named, said she “hates everything Heather Humphreys stands for”. She drew attention to the former minister’s role in the introduction of restrictions around dog ownership. A ban on XL Bully dogs was introduced following a spate of attacks.
Almost all pointed to the difference between the candidates’ campaigns. They said Humphreys only gave them reasons to not vote for Connolly, rather than reasons to vote for Humphreys.
Larry, a 29-year-old from Cavan, who gave his first name only, said he was initially open to both candidates. He described an “embarrassing”, “Trump-style” video released by Fine Gael about Connolly, in which it questioned her role in repossession cases during the financial crisis.
“You should have the confidence in your own candidate to say what you believe are their strong points and not rely on smearing the other candidate,” he said.
Similarly, Roísín Fingleton, a 36-year-old who grew up in the UK and voted for the first time in Drumcondra on Friday, said her vote went to Connolly because of Fine Gael’s campaign.
“The trawling through the past, bringing up things Catherine Connolly did in the past, pushed me towards her,” she said.
Rebecca Brady, a 31-year-old originally from Monaghan – Humphreys’s home county – said she did not know what the Fine Gael candidate stands for.
“I was there, primed for her to make a really good argument,” she said of Humphreys. However, Connolly got her vote.
An additional five people, meanwhile, spoiled their vote.
Among them was a 19-year-old first-time voter who chose to write Enoch Burke’s name on her ballot paper.
“He was standing right by our country,” she said when asked why.
