FINE GAEL’S HEATHER Humphreys was met with further questions about her attendance at Orange Order events today as the three confirmed presidential candidates attended the National Ploughing Championships.

Last Sunday the former minister came under pressure over her attendance at Orange Order events as per reporting in the Irish Mail on Sunday.

Speaking to the media at her campaign launch at the weekend Humphreys referenced her Protestant heritage as she said she wanted to “reach out” to communities in Northern Ireland.

She said she attended Orange Order parades with her parents, adding: “When the Troubles started, people were concerned and I didn’t go then after that.”

Her campaign has been met with further questions in recent days about her attendance at an event in Drum, Co Monaghan. 

Speaking today at the Ploughing site in Screggan, Co Offaly she said the Drum event is a cross-community picnic, not a parade.

She added: “This is about bringing people together and if we’re ever going to get anywhere, we need to bring people together.”

“We need to have that understanding and I’ve spent my life trying to bring people together to break down those barriers.”

Humphreys said she hadn’t attended the Drum event for around ten years. 

Fine Gael presidential nominee Heather Humphreys speaking at The Ploughing on her attendance of an Orange Order event in Drum, Co Monaghan.

She said it is a picnic, not a parade, and said the last time she attended was "probably 2015" @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/nenYQgxf6D

— Andrew Walsh (@AndyBreathnach) September 16, 2025

She was also asked if she would speak up against the government on the issue of housing if she was elected, telling reporters:

“If the people are good enough to elect me and they put their trust in me as president, I will speak up for them.”

“I’ve never been afraid to speak up for people, and I will certainly do that, but I will also respect the Constitution and I work within my constitutional role as a president.”

Humphreys was also asked about her decision to step away from politics last year, citing her health in her statement at the time:

“Maybe I was a bit burnt out then, but I’m feeling good now, as I said the batteries are fully charged,” she said. 

Humphreys also emphasised her commitment to learning to speak Irish: “I’m committed to going back to the Gaeltacht, I committed to brushing up and speaking Irish better, understanding it better, and I certainly will do that.”

“I went in 2017 and then I became minister for business, and then Brexit and all those things happened and to be quite honest with you, I didn’t get a chance to go back.”

Independent candidate Catherine Connolly also spoke today at what she said is her first time at the Ploughing Championships.

Speaking with reporters about the issues of the day she was asked about the photos of Social Democrat TD Eoin Hayes dressed as Barack Obama and wearing brown makeup. 

“I leave that to the Social Democrats to deal with,” she said.

“Eoin Hayes has apologised, absolutely apologised profusely. He regrets what he said, and he said he has learned from it. So if I go more general than that, we’ve all said and done things in our lives. We have said many racist things, actually, in our past that we didn’t even think were racist. It’s appalling, unacceptable. We should all learn.”

The Social Democrats TDs are among the Oireachtas members giving their backing to Connolly in the upcoming election. 

Connolly, who last week criticised TG4 for not hosting a debate in the presidential campaign, once again emphasised the importance of the Irish language:

“It’s a matter of great disappointment to me that the Irish language hasn’t been part of the public discourse.”

She finished by appealing to farmers: “We need young people on farms, we cannot survive without sustainable farming and without a livelihood for young people and older people and so government policy must reflect this.”

It’s the first day of the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Co Offaly. While a celebration of all things agricultural, the event is expected to host a number of Áras candidates.

We spoke with Independent candidate Catherine Connolly about her campaign. pic.twitter.com/i94oyn2wAn

— TheJournal.ie (@thejournal_ie) September 16, 2025

Also speaking today, Fianna Fáil Presidential candidate Jim Gavin defended what’s been described by some as a “reserved approach” to his campaign.

The former Dublin GAA manger emphasising his background in coaching in his response, saying that he is “from a profession of dealing with people”.

He also said he appreciated “the counsel” on his reserved demeanor, and will “bring that back to the boys”.

Gavin was asked whether the President should be fluent in Irish: “I’m very proud of my Irish. I’m not as confident, if I’m very honest, as I used to be.”

“Regardless of what happens in this presidential campaign, I will be getting better.”

Gavin also reiterated his condemnation of the ongoing crisis in Gaza after controversy last week when he mentoned Israel’s military objectives in his answers on the issue: “I’ll be very clear on Gaza, that genocide is happening. The Israeli government are conducting war crimes.”

Fianna Fáil presidential candidatite Jim Gavin is out at the Ploughing.

He said that he's got "farming in his DNA" and said that he can relate to the struggles of young people as a "young person"@thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/SrK3dnQ8IB

— Andrew Walsh (@AndyBreathnach) September 16, 2025

On his vision for the presidency Gavin said he wants to follow in the footsteps of Michael D Higgins and Mary Robinson in advocating “for those who don’t have a voice”. He said he is “a young man” who relates to young people and wants to “hear their stories”.

He also emphasised that he is “absolutely” a Fianna Fáil member and his parents came from “staunch Fianna Fáil” parts of West Clare.

Meanwhile, other candidate hopefuls continued to make their cases to county councils around the country today.

This afternoon businessman Gareth Sheridan earned the backing of Tipperary County Council after earning Kerry County Council’s nomination yesterday.

Sheridan is the only candidate before the councils to earn a nomination so far. He needs the backing of two more local authorities to get a spot on the ballot.