Catherine Connolly ‘delighted’ if Sinn Féin offer her support
Ms Connolly - speaking during a canvass in Cork - said she was honoured to have the support of People Before Profit, the Labour Party and the Social Democrats.But she said she would be "delighted" to have the support of Sinn Féin as well."I look at myself as a candidate that appeals to all sections of society," she said."I think when I was elected as Leas Ceann Comhairle I showed I had an appeal across the floor of the Dáil. Certainly if Sinn Féin decide to come on board with me I will be delighted."The Galway TD also stressed that she believes younger voters will have a crucial say in the October 24 election with 60,000 younger voters having never cast a ballot in a Presidential election."Absolutely - we will have a campaign going to register. Lots of young people are coming up and engaging with us."Quite a lot of young people are in despair and it is important to give hope. They are in despair over the housing crisis. They are in despair over the war in Ukraine and the Russian invasion. They are in despair over genocide."It is really important as a President to give hope and to show we have a different vision. I would encourage young people to come forward. Register if they are not registered and use their vote. I think they can rely on me and my record. I have a work ethic second to none. It is really important that we give people of all ages hope."She said that, for many young people, the war in Gaza was their priority issue."Obviously all the other themes including housing and young people being forced to leave the country,” she said."Young people have come up engaging with me robustly in relation to the housing crisis. Climate change has come up repeatedly and the Irish language."She said that one surprise issue that is cropping up on cavasses is that two of the declared candidates don't have fluent Irish."I think it is dawning on people that of the three declared (candidates) two don’t seem to have Irish. I’m not sure how many (candidates will have it next week,” she said."I think people including myself have been a little bit disappointed that the Irish language has not featured in the debate or the absence of it."I thinkTG4 - subject to correction - have said that they won’t be able to do a debate in Irish which to me is a wrong decision. I am not sure how they based that decision? Has it been confirmed to them that none of the candidates have the ability to carry out a debate in Irish?"If so, that is certainly a cause for reflection when we are talking about the role of President of a bilingual country where Irish is the first official language and protected under the constitution."She rejected the importance of opinion polls which have her third of the three declared candidates at 17pc support."Polls will take place. I never put much emphasis on polls. But I would be wrong to say as a human being and a candidate that some polls raise my spirits and others don’t. I didn’t stand based on polls. I didn’t stand as Leas Ceann Comhairle based on polls,” she said."I stood because I felt it was the right decision for me with the experience I have. I have had the privilege of being in different positions — clinical psychologist, barrister, TD, city councillor."I don’t say that by way of ‘I’. All of those roles including barrister have given me confidence. It has given me the ability to reflect, to read, to study and then make considered decisions."I think that is what we need at the moment. We need a courageous President. I think Michael D (Higgins) has been very courageous and Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese before that."We are at a point in our history where it is really important that we have somebody in the Áras that would treat people with dignity and respect and give respect to the role of the Presidency."But also be courageous and use my voice for peace, to articulate the existential threat that is climate change and to reflect fantastic work we have done on the ground by our communities.“Disability came up everywhere (on the canvass. This week in the Dail we will be looking at the new strategy on disability and there is a huge disconnect with the strategies and plans and the absence of services on the ground."People are at their wits end. I met a mother yesterday and she got a diagnosis in relation to her son. Not a single service.”
