PRESIDENT CATHERINE CONNOLLY will depart on her first overseas trip today, travelling to Spain to attend a high-profile summit of centre-left world leaders.

Connolly will take part in the “Defence of Democracy” forum in Barcelona later this morning, where she’s expected to address delegates alongside leaders from Europe, Latin America and Africa.

The trip places Connolly, who has previously warned against the “normalisation of war” and stressed Ireland’s commitment to international law, in a setting closely aligned with leaders who have taken a more openly critical stance towards US foreign policy under Donald Trump.

The event forms part of the wider ‘Global Progressive Mobilisation’ which kicked off yesterday. It’s a two-day gathering of left-leaning politicians and governments aimed at coordinating responses to what organisers describe as threats to democratic institutions and multilateral cooperation.

It concludes today with a “public day of solidarity”, featuring speeches from international leaders intended to “translate shared values into coordinated action”.

Among the attendees are Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro and South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa.

President Connolly will hold bilateral meetings with a number of her fellow participants during her time at the meeting.

Ahead of the meeting, Connolly said she was “honoured” to give her first address abroad “at this critically important event”.

“At a time when voices calling for war and military might are dominant, it is timely and fitting that we gather under an initiative championed by two leaders who have shown the political courage this moment demands,” Connolly said.

“Prime Minister Sánchez and President Lula deserve our recognition, and our gratitude, for placing the defence of democracy at the centre of the international agenda.”

Connolly added that Ireland is uniquely placed to offer a “valuable perspective as a neutral, post-famine, post-colonial republic”.

“At this crucial moment, we must work with all those who share our views to deepen international cooperation, and to nurture and develop conditions for lasting peace,” She said.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who is hosting the summit, has increasingly positioned himself as one of Europe’s most prominent critics of US President Donald Trump. 

Sánchez has clashed with the Trump administration over Europe’s defence burden and has taken a more openly adversarial stance than many of his EU counterparts during the US and Israel’s war on Iran.

Sánchez’s government refused to allow two jointly operated bases in Andalucía to be used to strike Iran in early March. In doing so, he became one of the very few European leaders to openly and emphatically reject the demands of Trump.

“We will not be complicit in something that is bad for the world and that is also contrary to our values ​​and interests, simply out of fear of reprisals from someone,” Sanchez said in a pointed public address at the time.

For her part, Connolly has also signalled a more critical tone in recent months.

In her St Patrick’s Day message last month, she warned against the “normalisation of war” and said Ireland must remain committed to international law and diplomacy, comments widely interpreted as a rebuke of escalating global military action under Trump.

She has also previously criticised what she described as “deliberate assaults on international law” in the Middle East, without naming specific states.

Following the summit, President Connolly will attend a reception the evening with the Irish community in Barcelona hosted by the Irish Ambassador to Spain, Brian Glynn.

Connolly’s visit also comes just days after she announced plans to convene the Council of State for the first time in her presidency to examine the constitutionality of the International Protection Bill 2026.

The legislation, passed by the Oireachtas this week, implements key elements of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact. It’s drawn criticism from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission over provisions relating to detention powers and family reunification.