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PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE CATHERINE Connolly has said that she “takes for granted” that any candidate for the presidency would be able to speak Irish.
The Independent Galway TD was today a part of an Irish language panel at the An Puball Gaeilge tent at the Electric Picnic festival.
She said she accepted the invitation to speak at the festival “immediately” because it’s “very important to discuss the issues of today in the Irish language”.
Current president Micheal D Higgins is a Gaeilgeoir and as candidates for his successor emerge, there have been discussions and debates about whether the head of state needs to be able to speak Irish.
“It’s a living, breathing language and it’s our official language,” said Connolly from Electric Picnic.
Connolly said that when she was a city councillor, she “had Irish but not the fluency”.
“I went back and learned it,” said Connolly, “and in the Dáil I’ve put an emphasis on Irish from the time I was elected as a living, breathing language, as a language to discuss our beautiful country and also the challenges that we face.”
Connolly is currently the Cathaoirleach of the Committee on the Irish language and the Irish speaking community.
She said she has “used that privilege to listen to people on the ground in relation to the challenges and the problems facing people”.
When asked by The Journal if a presidential nominee needs to be a Gaeilgeoir, Connolly remarked: “It’s so important, I take it for granted.
“I would presume that everybody standing would have the Irish language, I just take that for granted.”
She added: “It’s our first language and I’ve always tried to highlight that looking on Irish as a problem is completely the wrong lens to use.
“The lens I use is, it’s an absolute advantage to have two languages and more if one can, because you get a chance to look at problems in a different way, with a different lens.
“Irish is part of the solution to a lot of the challenges we face, particularly with the challenge of climate change.”
Meanwhile, Connolly said she hoped to get a chance to see Irish language rap group Kneecap and added: “I think they’ve been very courageous, they’ve been inspirational, and they’ve shown leadership.”
She said she watched their film and added: “Leaving aside bad language or drugs, the whole film was inspirational.
“The manner in which they managed to get to somebody like me, with the age difference, really impressed me.
“And I only mention the bad language and the drugs by way of saying, these might be things that turn people off, but actually it had the opposite effect on me, that they manage to get their message across in such an inspirational way.”
Elsewhere, Connolly said the Labour Party is “firmly behind” her, despite Labour TD Alan Kelly breaking ranks with his party over its support for Connolly’s Áras bid.
Labour announced in July that they would be endorsing Connolly’s campaign, alongside other left-leaning parties including the Social Democrats and People Before Profit.
However, the decision was not a unanimous one and The Journal understands that just under 60% of members supported backing Connolly during a party meeting on the issue.
Connolly and the Labour Party have had a strained relationship, after the presidential hopeful left the party in 2007 when they would not run her alongside Michael D Higgins in the general election. She had served as a Labour councillor.
When she was elected to the Dáil for the first time in 2016, Connolly said the Labour Party had “lost its soul”.
Speaking to Tipp FM earlier this week, Kelly said his “fundamental issue” with backing Connolly was her controversial decision to back Gemma O’Doherty’s presidential bid in 2018.
Connolly has said that she doesn’t regret her decision to sign O’Doherty’s papers at the time, stating that she did not know her personally but saw her as a journalist who had done some very good work in the past.
Kelly said that he does not think it is possible for the Labour Party to support a candidate who lent her support to O’Doherty and maintain its “self-respect”.
“People can do what they want. I have no issue with them supporting her, that’s their own business. But I have to be honest with myself,” he said, adding that the range of party opinions on Connolly did not mean there was a “wider split” within Labour.
When asked about this, Connolly said she will “leave Alan Kelly to answer whatever questions he has to answer in relation to that”.
“I’m delighted that the Labour Party is behind me,” she added.
“Ivana Bacik was out canvassing with me lately, and Ciaran Ahern and Jed Nash. I welcome all of that and they’re standing firmly behind me.”
Connolly added: “And when Sinn Féin make up their decision… from day one, I respected that each party had their own process and hopefully they’ll all make their decision soon.
“On a general level, I think it’s important that decisions are made one way or another because the role of presidency is extremely important.”
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