Catherine Connolly

Her Excellency Catherine Connolly
Connolly in 2025
10th President of Ireland
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 November 2025
Taoiseach	Micheál Martin
Preceded by	Michael D. Higgins
Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann
In office 23 July 2020 – 8 November 2024
Ceann Comhairle	Seán Ó Fearghaíl
Preceded by	Pat "the Cope" Gallagher
Succeeded by	John McGuinness
Chair of the Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands
In office 4 April 2016 – 15 September 2020
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Niamh Smyth
Teachta Dála
In office February 2016 – October 2025
Constituency	Galway West
Mayor of Galway
In office June 2004 – June 2005
Preceded by	Terry O'Flaherty
Succeeded by	Brian Walsh
Galway City Councillor
In office June 1999 – March 2016
Constituency	Galway City West
Personal details
Born	Catherine Martina Ann Connolly (1957-07-12) 12 July 1957 (age 69) Galway, Ireland
Political party	Independent (2006–present)
Other political affiliations	Labour (until 2006)
Spouse(s)	Brian McEnery ​ (m. 1992)​
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Leeds University of Galway King's Inns
Website	Presidential campaign website

Catherine Connolly (in Irish Caitríona Ní Chonghaile; born 12 July 1957) is an Irish independent politician who has been the 10th and current President of Ireland since 2025. She was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway West constituency from 2016 until 2025.

Connolly was Mayor of Galway from 2004 to 2005. Connolly was elected to the Dáil in 2016. She was Leas-Cheann Comhairle of the 33rd Dáil from July 2020 to November 2024. She was chair of the Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands from 2016 to 2020.

2025 presidential campaign

Connolly ran as an independent candidate for President of Ireland in the 2025 election. She won the election in October 2025, beating Heather Humphreys and Jim Gavin in a landslide victory, with the highest number of first-preference votes in Irish history.

Political views

Connolly's ideology has been called left-wing. Connolly calls herself as a socialist and pacifist.

Connolly is a supporter of Ireland being neutrality on most global issues. Her foreign policy views were called by Politico as "often anti-Western". She is a critic of NATO and the European Union for their military use.

Connolly has not supported Russian invasion of Ukraine and has also called NATO's actions toward Russia as "warmongering". She is also a supporter of Palestine and is a critic of Israel.

Connolly supports Irish reunification, the legalisation of same-sex marriage and the legalisation of abortion.

Personal life

Connolly has lived in the Claddagh in Galway City since 1988. She married woodwork teacher Brian McEnery in 1992 and they have two sons.

References

Other websites

Media related to Catherine Connolly at Wikimedia Commons

• Presidential campaign website
• Andrews, Kernan. "Connolly raises doubts over independence of crypto report", Galway Advertiser, 6 November 2008.

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