Securing 914,143 first-preference votes in the 2025 presidential election, Catherine Connolly achieved the largest personal mandate in the history of the Republic of Ireland. This landslide victory propelled the former barrister and clinical psychologist into the presidency, marking her as the third woman to hold the office following Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese.
Early Background and Professional Life
Born in Galway on 5 November 1955, Connolly grew up in the Shantalla social housing development as one of 14 siblings. She pursued higher education at the University of Galway and the University of Leeds, qualifying as a clinical psychologist in 1981. After shifting career paths to study law, she was admitted as a barrister in 1991, maintaining a general practice focused on family and personal injury law on the Western Circuit until 2016.
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Connolly entered representative politics by joining the Labour Party in the late 1990s. She secured a seat on Galway City Council in 1999 and served as Mayor of Galway from 2004 to 2005. Her tenure as mayor included presiding over the awarding of the Freedom of Galway City to Aung San Suu Kyi. She resigned from the Labour Party in 2006 following internal disagreements regarding candidate selection processes.
Parliamentary Career and Leas-Cheann Comhairle
After two unsuccessful general election bids as an independent in 2007 and 2011, Connolly won a seat in Dáil Éireann for the Galway West constituency in 2016. In July 2020, she secured a victory over Fergus O'Dowd to become the first female Leas-Cheann Comhairle, a role she occupied until November 2024. During her time as a Teachta Dála, she chaired the Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands.
Ideological Stance and Foreign Policy
Connolly defines herself as a socialist and pacifist. Her political record reflects consistent support for Irish neutrality and skepticism toward NATO and European Union military expansion. While she has denounced the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, her 2018 visit to Syria remains a point of scrutiny regarding her views on the Assad regime. Domestically, she was an advocate for the legalization of both same-sex marriage and abortion.
Fast facts
- Born: 5 November 1955, Galway
- Presidency: Since 11 November 2025
- Former Occupation: Barrister and clinical psychologist
- Education: University of Galway, University of Leeds
- Mayor of Galway: 2004–2005
- First female Leas-Cheann Comhairle: 2020
- Language proficiency: English and Irish
Questions readers ask
What record did Catherine Connolly set in the 2025 election?
She received 914,143 first-preference votes, the largest personal mandate in the history of the Republic of Ireland.
Which major parliamentary position did she hold before becoming president?
She served as the Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 2020 to 2024, becoming the first woman to hold that office.
Achievements
- Teachta Dála (2016–2020)
- Teachta Dála (2020–2024)
- Leas-Cheann Comhairle (2020–2025)
- Mayor of Galway (2004–2005)
- Educated at University of Galway and University of Leeds
