LAST UPDATE | 20 Sep

SINN FÉIN HAS backed independent candidate Catherine Connolly in her bid for the presidency following an Ard Chomhairle meeting this morning.

“Our job is to get Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael out of government and to keep them out of the Áras. Anois an am. Anois uair na cinniúna,” Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said in a post on X.

McDonald said: “We can elect a President who will champion a United Ireland, stand up for Ireland’s place in the world as a defender of neutrality and human rights, and speak out for fairness and economic justice.

“It’s now game on to elect Catherine Connolly as Ireland’s next President. We will give it our all!”

In a statement issued just after Sinn Féin’s announcement, Connolly thanked Mary Lou McDonald for her support.

“I believe the coalition of left, centre left parties and independents backing my run for president is a welcome change for Irish politics,” Connolly said.

“However, if I am to be successful I will be a president for all Irish people, of all political persuasion or none. See you on the road.”

Speaking to RTÉ Radio this afternoon, Connolly said she was “delighted” to have Sinn Féin’s support. 

Asked if Sinn Féin had made specific demands about the prominence of supporting a united Ireland in her campaign, Connolly said it was a cause that she has always held dear. 

“Sinn Féin, after taking a very long time to reflect and consider, have decided that I’m the best candidate to support based on the values that I’ve espoused,” Connolly told RTÉ host Colm Ó Mongáin.

“In relation to Northern Ireland,” Connolly continued, “we have Article Three of the Constitution, and it’s clearly set out there, following the Good Friday Agreement, that it is the firm will of the Irish nation in harmony and friendship to unite all the people who share the territory of Ireland.

“And that article goes on to say that must be done by consent and in recognition of the diversity of Ireland, both north and south.

“That is something that I treasure. That is something I have spoken about repeatedly.”

Sinn Féin is backing Catherine Connolly to be the next Uachtaráin na hÉireann! Our job is to get Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael out of government and to keep them out of the Áras.

Anois an am. Anois uair na cinniúna.

We can elect a President who will champion a United Ireland,… pic.twitter.com/GfDL97RN8T

— Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) September 20, 2025

Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin told RTÉ that while there were some people in the party who would have preferred it to run its own candidate, “ultimately, the overriding consensus of the meeting was to support Catherine”.

At an Irish-language protest in Dublin city centre, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, another Sinn Féin TD, told The Journal that Connolly’s fluency in Gaeilge was a big motivator for the party to get behind her.

“I think Irish is essential for the role of Uachtárán na hÉireann,” he said, speaking in Irish. “That is one of the many reasons why Sinn Féin are fully supporting Catherine Connolly, because she is fully fluent in Irish and she fully understands the importance of the Irish language in Ireland.”

Labour Party TD Ciaran Ahern, who is co-ordinating Labour’s support for Connolly’s campaign, said that momentum was building behind the independent Galway West TD.

“Every day, more and more voices are coming together in support of Catherine Connolly and her ideals,” Ahern said in a statement.

“With yesterday’s welcome endorsement by the Green Party and Sinn Féin following suit today we can feel real momentum building for Catherine across the country and across political lines now.”

Ahern said he hoped that the coming weeks would “bring a concentration on the core issues and on the values we want to put forward for the Presidency”.