LAST UPDATE | 28 Oct 2025

AFTER CATHERINE CONNOLLY’S win in the presidential election, attention has quickly turned to who may fill her Dáil seat in Galway West once she moves to the Áras.

A by-election must take place within six months of a seat being vacated. Connolly will be inaugurated on 11 November, meaning a by-election must take place by May. 

After the successful joining together of left parties to back Connolly, it remains to be seen whether they’ll continue their unofficial coalition in some manner in order to secure another left candidate in Connolly’s place. 

Who could be in the running?

With the last general election less than a year behind us, we have a rough idea of where voters’ heads are at in Galway West. 

Last year saw the election of Sinn Féin’s Mairead Farrell, Catherine Connolly, Fianna Fáil’s John Connolly, Fine Gael’s Hildegarde Naughton, and Independent Noel Grealish. 

Farrell and Catherine Connolly were the first elected on the eleventh count. Farrell had received the largest number of first preferences. John Connolly and Naughton were elected on count 14, and Grealish clinched the fifth and final seat in count 16.

Independent Ireland’s Noel Thomas, currently a sitting councillor and formerly a member of Fianna Fáil, came sixth on the first count and was the final candidate to be eliminated. 

Thomas today confirmed to Galway Bay FM that he intends on contesting the by-election and met with party leader Michael Collins yesterday.

Results from the first count in Catherine Connolly's Galway West constituency in last year's general election. The Journal The Journal

Seventeen candidates ran in the constituency. Both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael ran two candidates each, and each had one elected. 

The Social Democrats ran Councillor Eibhlín Seoighthe, who finished behind Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’s second candidates and Independent councillor Mike Cubbard, who currently serves as Galway city’s Lord Mayor. Seoighthe has since resigned from the Social Democrats and is now an Independent councillor.

Cubbard told The Journal yesterday that he is considering contesting the by-election and is currently discussing the prospect with his family and supporters. 

Asked if he would consider himself to be a left-wing politician that could fill Connolly’s shoes in the Dáil, Cubbard said that he’s an Independent politician with his own stances on issues.

However, he and Connolly grew up in the same area with similar upbringings and he would hold similar views to her on a range of issues, he said. They previously served on the council together before Connolly’s election to the Dáil.

Although it would be a “great honour” to serve his city and county at a national level, Cubbard said he’s dedicated to his current role as mayor and will continue to mull over the prospect.

Given Connolly’s position as a left TD, it may appear that left parties such as the Social Democrats would push for a candidate to contest the by-election, while Seoighthe may strike out on her own.

Sinn Féin’s leader Mary Lou McDonald also pointed out that their candidate, frontbench TD Mairead Farrell, topped the poll.

Speaking on RTÉ on Sunday, McDonald said: “Of course we will go in and contest in that way. I hope, in that contest as with others, we [the left] will find a way to transfer to and from each other, that we can still – on areas where we have common cause and common platforms – we can put that forward in a very, very constructive way.”

She said Sinn Féin has a “very strong mandate” and the party will contest the seat to ensure it doesn’t “fall to the government”.

Sinn Féin is the second largest party in Dáil Éireann on 39 seats – behind Fianna Faíl and only one seat ahead of Fine Gael. 

So who else might run for the Galway seat?

Runners and riders 

Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne contested the general election last year. He is a senator on the Cultural and Educational panel at present but was previously a TD for the party from 2011 to 2020. He lost his seat in 2020 and was then appointed to the Seanad by the Taoiseach. 

Kyne came in seventh on the first count and was less than 700 votes behind his running mate Naughton, who’s now a Minister of State.

Fine Gael councillor and former Lord Mayor of Galway City Eddie Hoare’s name has also cropped up as a potential option for the party.

As for Fianna Fáil, former TD and minister Éamon Ó Cuív was described by the Irish Examiner as being “coy” about whether he would be interested in contesting the by-election. 

Although retired from politics, the 75-year-old added: “In life, if you’re going somewhere, never make a decision on what to do at the next crossroads until you get there.”

Take that as you will.

Elsewhere, Aontú may want to capitalise on its work in aiding Maria Steen’s efforts to make it onto the ballot.

The party ran lecturer Pádraig Lenihan last year in Galway West, but he was eliminated on the fifth count. He received 1,233 first preference votes. Aontú has no Galway representative currently. 

There is also, of course, businessman Declan Ganley, one of the figures behind the campaign calling on people to spoil their votes this weekend. 

Ganley hasn’t run for election since his failed European bid in 2009 as a candidate for his now defunct Eurosceptic political party Libertas – but he was spotted at Leinster House earlier this year, apparently sounding out support for a potential Áras bid.

Ganley is based in Galway, with Abbeyknockmoy being named previously as his place of residence. On Sunday evening he replied to a post on X querying whether he may be interested in giving it a go, saying: “That’s Galway West, I am Galway East. I also have a job, getting the Outernet up and on.”