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AS OPPOSITION PARTIES on the left have begun to back Independent Catherine Connolly for the Áras, it remains uncertain whether Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald will contest the presidency.
Galway West TD Connolly confirmed to the Connacht Tribune on Thursday that she intends to enter the presidential race. The Social Democrats are backing her bid.
Today, People Before Profit said that its steering committee has agreed to endorse Connolly. Subject to ratification by a national council of the party’s members, TDs Paul Murphy and Richard Boyd Barrett will formally nominate the former Mayor of Galway for the position.
Paul Murphy described Connolly as a “popular principled figure on the left” and said that the party is pleased that she has put herself forward as a candidate. He urged others on the left to join her campaign.
He added that having a president on the left would be a powerful political force that would enable the left “to finally end the rule of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. It’s what so many want.”
The Social Democrats has 11 representatives in the Oireachtas, with 10 TDs and one senator. People Before Profit-Solidarity has three TDs.
The Labour Party, the Green Party, and Sinn Féin have yet to indicate whether they will be backing Connolly, although it is possible that Sinn Féin, given its position as the second largest party in the Dáil, will soldier on with its own candidate.
Speaking of…
At the beginning of the week, there were shockwaves as Mary Lou McDonald dodged questions regarding her potential candidacy for the role of Uachtarán na hÉireann after previously ruling herself out.
McDonald addressed a protest against the Government’s proposed repurposing of the GPO for office and retail space rather than Sinn Féin’s proposed cultural quarter this afternoon.
“This is not just a building,” she told attendees. “For generations, the GPO has stood as a living testament to the values and ideals of the Proclamation, to the vision of the Ireland that can be.
“This is just the government’s latest decision. They’ve backed a British property developer to turn the Moore Street 1916 battlefield site into a commercial space.
“Our message to Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, our message to Micheál Martin and Simon Harris, is very clear. Scrap this shameful plan to use the GPO for shops and offices. Before the Dáil rises for the Summer, the Taoiseach must tell the people of Ireland that the government’s plan won’t go ahead.”
In a slightly more unexpected appearance, McDonald also showed up on screen at the Wolfe Tones gig in Thomond Park in Co Limerick last night. The Sinn Féin leader addressed the crowd in what could potentially be interpreted as a kick-off to her campaign, and sang a few lines from the Wolfe Tones’ ‘Let the People Sing’.
Mother of Jesus....!!!! pic.twitter.com/u4YaQaI9nb
— South East Military Veterans (@EastVeterans) July 12, 2025
Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan told RTÉ Radio One this afternoon that Sinn Féin’s membership met and had a consultation on the matter of who the party would back for the presidency.
She said a report was compiled and sent to the Ard Chomhairle. “Everything is on the table,” Boylan added.
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