A POSSIBLE FUTURE president steps out of the car in Courtney Place Flats in the North East Inner City of Dublin. Driven by her husband, she arrived with no fanfare at all, but a few locals peek out over their balconies out of curiosity. It’s an unusual sight in an area that has traditionally been deprived and ignored.

My son immediately takes her by the hand and invites her outside to play ball. Over the next 24 hours, the video of Connolly’s ‘keepy uppys’ and basketball skills will be seen by everyone in Ireland. (And trust me, this was not a photo op or planned. They really are that impressive.)

I remember thinking: we in working-class communities are used to being treated like political footballs, rather than playing actual ball with politicians. We are used to being blamed for all of society’s ills. The odd one of us will be labelled as exceptional and used as ‘proof’ that the rest of us could work our way up, if only we tried harder.

Connolly’s election sparked interest around the world, everywhere from Australia to Argentina to Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show. Why? Because in a time of increasing division, fear and authoritarianism across the globe, Ireland is a beacon of hope and courage.

That huge hope starts small on our own doorsteps. I know because I spent eight weeks canvassing in my local community, knocking on well over a thousand doors to chat to people. I learned to turn fear and frustration into hope. Here’s how.

Start by looking at your own biases

I admit that I had my own pre-conceptions. These were blown away after my first night on the doors. Our local canvassing group prioritised engaging with local public housing complexes and flat blocs, which have been traditionally deprived.

There is an idea that people in council housing don’t vote, so why engage? But the reason people are disengaged is because we’re not engaging with them. They can see the growing inequalities they face while wealth and power continues to concentrate at the top of Irish society.

Face-to-face conversations are key

While I canvassed, I acknowledged the sheer frustration people are feeling and realised that underneath is fear. I met people who felt angry, left behind and forgotten, but when you listen beyond the anger, what comes through is a deep desire for change, dignity and a fair chance to build a decent life. Many see these chances slipping away.

Waiting in the wings are the small handful of snake oil salesmen peddling hate, day in and day out, on social media. They manipulate fear and distort reality, while providing no meaningful solutions. That creates more fear that turns into anger and makes everyone feel unsafe.

They are trying to distract us from holding to account the elected politicians who have made the choices that deprive working-class communities of what we need. People need to be reminded of who has the power to make those choices and why, what systems they uphold and how we can challenge those systems and win.

How to have a conversation

We need to be dancing when we talk, not fighting. We are all neighbours and friends. I meet the same people as I go about my life in my community. We may not agree on everything and we don’t have to, but we all want better, especially for our children and the next generation.

We need to cooperate as best we can to make our communities the best places they can be, no matter who we are, where we come from or the colour of our skin. If we have lived here all our lives or come here seeking safety, we all deserve to feel safe and flourish.

Never lose faith in people

Connolly’s record shone through in the responses on the doors, especially her work supporting the survivors of mother and baby homes and prisoner rehabilitation. She didn’t just talk the talk, she walked the walk, when it came to giving a person a second chance.

I spoke to hundreds of women who saw Connolly standing proud behind her achievements when her opponents tried to discredit her. It is this sheer grit and determination that working-class women across the country need to have to survive every day. They saw this mirrored in Catherine Connolly.

Trust people to know the solutions to their own problems

When Connolly came to visit the North East Inner City, we decided to bring her to Courtney Place Flat Complex.

A group of mothers and volunteers – Belinda Browne, Vickey Kelly, Samantha Bewley, Mary Quinn, Melissa Byrne, Natasha White and Alisha Bewley – are creating a safe space for their children to play. They have converted an empty flat in the complex into a beautiful playroom and an outside area for their children. These women have been working incredibly hard for over a year with Dublin City Council and Iarnród Éireann to make it happen.

We knew Catherine would understand what the women were trying to achieve because she had done something similar herself in her council estate in Galway, where she successfully campaigned for a basketball court well before becoming an elected representative.

The children and women of Courtney Place Flats are immensely proud of having hosted Catherine Connolly. She drew pictures for the kids and they gave her a tour of murals created by the children themselves and an artist.

They have pride in where they live. It’s proof that people know best how to bring about change on their own doorsteps. We just need to listen to, and help, them.

All politics is local

The narrative being peddled online is never the actual story on the doors. Having tough conversations and engaging people about solutions is vital to our democracy – not just maintaining democracy but strengthening it.

Everyone just wants a safe, secure place to live, to be able to plan for the future, and to feel they have a voice that is being listened to.

All of us need to get off our phones and engage with people one-on-one. That is the real lesson from Connolly’s victory: all politics is local.

Niamh McDonald is a community activist and the Director of Community Engagement at the Hope & Courage Collective, who works with communities, workplaces, and institutions across Ireland to strengthen democracy and build collective resilience in the face of rising far-right hate and disinformation. A working-class lone parent living in the flats in the North East Inner City (NEIC) of Dublin, she helped co-ordinate the Dublin Central Connolly campaign and led the campaign’s canvassing in the NEIC.