CATHERINE CONNOLLY HAS been sworn in as the tenth President of Ireland during an inauguration ceremony in Dublin Castle.

After signing the Presidential Oath, President Connolly gave her first speech as Ireland’s Head of State.

The ten-minute speech, which was delivered in both Irish and English, touched on a wide range of issues, including housing, migration, and a united Ireland.

Here is the speech in full.

“A Thaoisigh, a Phríomh Breitheamh, Airí, Baill Comhairle an Stáit, Baill an Oireachtais, Ambassadóirí, Ceannairí Eaglaise, agus daoine uaisle ar fad, chomh maith le Cead Aire an Tuaisceart Michelle Smith [O’Neill], agus ceannairí eile ó gach cearn den Tuaisceart.

Ba mhaith liom céad mile fáilte a chur roimh mo chlann freisin, atá anseo. Mo bheirt mhac, m’fhearchéile, mo dheirfiúracha, mo dheartháireacha, thaisteal siad ó cheann ceann an domhain ó Atlanta, Georgia, ó Ceanada, ó Toronto, agus míle buíochas go chuir siad an dua sin orthu féin.

I stand before you humbly and proudly as the 10th president of this beautiful country.

The people have spoken, and have given their president a powerful mandate to articulate their 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.

The change that led to this joyful day began with a small group of elected representatives and volunteers facing what appeared to be insurmountable challenges.

We were led to believe that it was too great a leap, that our ideas were too far out, too left at odds with the prevailing narrative in shared conversations all over the country. However, it became evident that the dominant narrative did not reflect or represent people’s values and concerns.

Time and time again, people spoke of how it served to silence, to other, to label, to exclude and to stifle critical thinking. Along with that, however, along with meaningful engagement, we saw the emergence of hope. We saw the emergence of joy, along with the courage and determination of people to use their voices to shape a country that we can be proud of.

As president of Ireland, I will ensure that all voices are represented, heard and valued, and promote a public discourse that nourishes inclusivity, tolerance and active citizenship.

Previous presidents faced different challenges, reflecting the dominant issues of the day.

In 1990, when Mary Robinson was elected, the parameters of geopolitics were shifting following the fall of the Berlin Wall the previous year and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. At home, Ireland was undergoing its own seismic changes, laying the foundation for a modern and inclusive society in 1997 one year before the Good Friday Agreement.

For former President Mary McAleese, she was elected in the midst of the ongoing peace process, a landmark event in shaping a shared vision for the future of Ireland.

In 2011, Michael D Higgins assumed office as a global financial collapse shook Ireland and the world. The reverberations of that crisis continue to impact upon and shape people’s lives and our economy.

Now, in 2025, as I assume the privilege of office, we face the existential threat of climate change and the threat of ongoing wars. Both, of course, are inextricably linked.

As I speak, I am acutely conscious of the 165 million people currently forcibly displaced from their homes and countries due to war, famine and climate change.

We cannot turn back the clock nor close our eyes to these realities.

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

It is both an individual and a collective challenge, and one which obliges us to reflect on the way we live and interact with our world and with each other.

It is also the responsibility of those entrusted with public office to come together, both nationally and internationally, to lead and to create the conditions for a sustainable existence on our planet.

It is significant that today is Remembrance Day, the 11th of November 2025, it is significant. It gives it significant on so many levels, but it gives us the opportunity to pause and to reflect on the horrors of war in a world where, unfortunately, we have all become witnesses to ongoing wars and genocide.

Given our history, the normalisation of war and genocide has never been and will never be acceptable to us as a sovereign, independent nation. With a long and cherished tradition of neutrality and an uninterrupted record of peacekeeping since 1958, 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 immigration gives us a lived understanding of dispossession, hunger and war and a mandate for Ireland to lead.

We can and should take real pride in the success of the Good Friday Agreement, knowing that this is recognised far and wide and is a model for the peaceful resolution of conflict.

We also know that this journey of peace and reconciliation was the result of meticulous and methodical work over a long period of time, and this work continues to this day.

I look forward to paying my first official visit to the North and meeting with people from all communities and celebrating the rich and heritage and traditions of all who live there.

I am particularly conscious of Article Three of the Constitution, which sets out in detail the firm wish of the Irish people and the Irish nation to have a united Ireland, albeit with the conditions set out very clearly in that article – consent.

As President, I will foster an inclusive and open dialogue across the island in a manner that highlights and recognises our similarities and respects our differences.

I want to acknowledge our large and growing diaspora.

There is hardly a family on this island that does not have a personal experience of migration.

On every continent, our immigrants have put their ingenuity and hard work at the service of new homelands, yet they have kept their love of Ireland and its culture deep in their hearts.

I hope over the next seven years, that there will be many opportunities for me to celebrate with them and share our experiences.

I have never believed more in the spirit of this country.

Having travelled the length and breadth of the island, I have witnessed it in every county in every corner of Ireland, I have heard it in the music, the literature and the dance of our people, in the deep tradition of solidarity and decency that continues to be the dominant force behind our people.

I have felt it in the quiet dignity and stoicism of those who simply keep going despite the very real challenges that they face.

Is sibhse, muintir na tíre, cosmhuintir na tíre, a casadh orm agus mé ar fud na tíre a spreag mé, agus a spreag m’fhoireann le linn an fheachtais. Sibhse a chuaigh agus a théann i ngleic le heaspaí seirbhísí agus riachtanais gach lá beo, easpaí nár cheart a bheith fós ann i dtír atá chomh sabhair.

Spreag sibh mé le bhur ndúthracht agus bhur bhfláithiúlacht, ag roinnt bhur scéalta agus taithí liom go fial. Is sibhse a thug agus a thugann misneach dom, misneach a bhainfidh mé úsáid as anois agus a thógfaidh mé air agus mé ag obair ar bhur son mar Uachtarán.

Ar ndóigh, tá tábhacht na teanga chun anam agus spioraid na tíre a thabhairt chun cinn tuigthe agam le blianta fada anois; anam agus spioraid a bhí curtha faoi chois le blianta, bíodh sin d’aon ghnó, de bharr smacht na dtíoránach nó de bharr neamhaird, neamhchúram nó easpa tuisceanaí.

Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam, agus is fíor sin, mar nuair atá a teanga múchta, ní féidir leis an tír, nó aon tír, a mianta, a luachanna nó a spioraid a chur in iúl.

Cuireadh ár dteanga, teanga ársa ár sinsir, teanga ina bhfuil spioraid ár sinsir agus nádúr ár dtíre le mothú i gchuile fhocal, sa dara háit, gan meas nó ómós tugtha di. Plúchadh croí ár muintir nuair a cuireadh stop leo úsáid a bhaint as a dteanga féin, teanga a chuireann mothúchain agus croí in iúl le chuile fhocal.

Ach scaoilimis le chéile anois leis an bhfaitíos sin. Ligfimis don Ghaeilge bláthú. Éistimis leo siúd ar fad nach bhfuil uathu ach aitheantas a bheith tugtha dóibh mar Ghaeilgeoirí ina dtír féin agus in ómós dóibh agus dúinne.

Gaeilgeoirí, Gael, agus lucht foghlama na Gaeilge, ní sa gcúinne á labhairt go híseal a bhéas an Ghaeilge san Áras ach sa chéad áit mar theanga oibre agus beidh sí á labhairt ar fud na tíre go misniúil, go fileata, go ceolmhar, faoi mar atá cloiste agam agus mé ar fud na tíre, agus dár ndóigh, déanfar í a labhairt go húdarásach agus gan aon drogall nuair is gá.

Is sibhse, muintir na tíre, cosmhuintir na tíre, a casadh orm agus mé ar fud na tíre a spreag mé, agus a spreag m’fhoireann le linn an fheachtais. Sibhse a chuaigh agus a théann i ngleic le heaspaí seirbhísí agus riachtanais gach lá beo, easpaí nár cheart a bheith fós ann i dtír atá chomh sabhair. Spreag sibh mé le bhur ndúthracht agus bhur bhfláithiúlacht, ag roinnt bhur scéalta agus taithí liom go fial. Is sibhse a thug agus a thugann misneach dom, misneach a bhainfidh mé úsáid as anois agus a thógfaidh mé air agus mé ag obair ar bhur son mar Uachtarán.

Ar ndóigh, tá tábhacht na teanga chun anam agus spioraid na tíre a thabhairt chun cinn tuigthe agam le blianta fada anois; anam agus spioraid a bhí curtha faoi chois le blianta, bíodh sin d’aon ghnó, de bharr smacht na dtíoránach nó de bharr neamhaird, neamhchúram nó easpa tuisceanaí. Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam, agus is fíor sin, mar nuair atá a teanga múchta, ní féidir leis an tír, nó aon tír, a mianta, a luachanna nó a spioraid a chur in iúl.

Cuireadh ár dteanga, teanga ársa ár sinsir, teanga ina bhfuil spioraid ár sinsir agus nádúr ár dtíre le mothú i chuile fhocal, sa dara háit, gan meas nó ómós tugtha di. Plúchadh croí ár muintir nuair a cuireadh stop leo úsáid a bhaint as a dteanga féin, teanga a chuireann mothúchain agus croí in iúl le chuile fhocal. Ach scaoilimis le chéile anois leis an bhfaitíos sin. Ligfimis don Ghaeilge bláthú. Éistimis leo siúd ar fad nach bhfuil uathu ach aitheantas a bheith tugtha dóibh mar Ghaeilgeoirí ina dtír féin agus in ómós dóibh agus dúinne.

Gaeilgeoirí, Gael, agus lucht foghlama na Gaeilge, ní sa gcúinne á labhairt go híseal a bhéas an Ghaeilge san Áras ach sa chéad áit mar theanga oibre agus beidh sí á labhairt ar fud na tíre go misniúil, go fileata, go ceolmhar, faoi mar atá cloiste agam agus mé ar fud na tíre, agus dár ndóigh, déanfar í a labhairt go húdarásach agus gan aon drogall nuair is gá.

Mar fhocal scoir, I believe that the President should be a unifying president, a steady hand, yes, but also a catalyst for change, reflecting our desire for a republic that lives up to its name.

I will embrace the role of the President with dignity, determination and courage.”

With additional reporting from Conor Brummell.