IT BEGAN AS a dull, drizzly day in Dublin City, as gardaí lined the streets surrounding Dublin Castle in preparation for the inauguration of Catherine Connolly as the tenth President of Ireland. 

Despite the rain and heavy traffic in the city, events still managed to proceed largely as scheduled. 

At approximately 11 am, Connolly and her husband Brian McEnery departed Farmleigh to make their way across to Dublin Castle, where throngs of politicians, judges and dignitaries were spilling into the Castle’s opulent St Patrick’s Hall. 

As the Army No. 1 Band played a rendition of ‘Danny Boy’ while attendees settled in their seats, there was notably no round of applause. 

The first of the day came a short while later as outgoing President Michael D Higgins arrived in the hall to take his place up on stage alongside former presidents Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese, members of the judiciary and former taoisigh Brian Cowen, Leo Varadkar and Bertie Ahern (Enda Kenny was not in attendance).

The first round of applause of the day as Michael D Higgins arrives pic.twitter.com/RuuDBLpjz3

— Jane Matthews (@janeematthews) November 11, 2025

Behind them sat senior ministers, while the Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris also took positions on stage as Connolly arrived. On either side, they were joined by representatives of different faiths in Ireland, who recited prayers and blessings during the ceremony. 

Connolly was flanked on stage by government figures, members of the judiciary and former presidents and taoisigh. Rollingnews.ie Rollingnews.ie

Watching on from the audience were Connolly’s husband and their two sons, Brian and Stephen, along with their extended family.

Further down the hall, in a symbol of the unity among the opposition that Connolly has come to represent, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald sat side by side with the other leaders of the opposition. 

Sabina Higgins greets Holly Cairns, Ivana Bacik and Mary Lou McDonald. Rollingnews.ie Rollingnews.ie

After signing the declaration of office, administered by Chief Justice Donal O’Donnell, President Connolly used her first speech as Uachtarán na hÉireann to address the “challenges of our time”, notably war and climate change. 

In a relatively short speech, spanning just 10 minutes, President Connolly pledged to be a president for all and highlighted what she saw as Ireland’s important role as a leader for peace. 

She spoke of how she had been given a “powerful mandate to articulate the vision for a new republic, a republic worthy of its name, where everyone is valued and diversity is cherished, where sustainable solutions are urgently implemented, and where a home is a fundamental human right.”

Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese looked on as Connolly became president. Alamy Alamy

She drew on the challenges past presidents faced when they took office: For Mary Robinson, the “parameters of geo-politics were shifting” shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, for Mary McAleese, she took office a year before the Good Friday Agreeement when peace was not yet realised on the island, and for Michael D Higgins, he became president “as the global financial crash shook Ireland and the world”. 

Connolly said that for her, she was taking office at a time when we face the “existential threat of climate change and ongoing wars”. 

“These are the challenges of our times, and our actions or inaction will determine the world our children and grandchildren will inherit.”

She noted the significance of today being Remembrance Day, the day that marks the end of World War 1, and said it gives us the opportunity to “pause and reflect on the horrors of war”. 

“Given our history, the normalisation of war and genocide has never been and will never be acceptable to us…Ireland is particularly well placed to lead and articulate alternative diplomatic solutions to conflict and war.

“Indeed, our experience of colonisation and resistance of a catastrophic man-made famine and forced emigration gives us a lived understanding of dispossession, hunger and war and a mandate for Ireland to lead,” she said, adding that we “can and should” take real pride in the success of the Good Friday Agreement. 

For her supporters, Connolly’s speech will likely have struck the right chords. It was notable that she did not begin it in Irish, instead she weaved it in towards the end, pledging that it would be the working language of the Áras while she is in office. 

For her detractors, Connolly concluded her speech with a unifying message, pledging to be a president who reflects the desire for a “republic that lives up to its name”.

“I will embrace the role of the President with dignity, determination and courage,” Connolly said before leaving to make her way to her new home at Áras an Uachtaráin. 

School children from Francis Street primary school were pleased to meet the new president. Alamy Alamy

As she left Dublin Castle, she was met with a guard of honour from the Defence Forces as she shook hands with school children from Francis Street School who braved the rain to meet the new president. 

Connolly will now host a private lunch back at the Áras before returning to Dublin Castle this evening for a State reception.