Originally published in The Boston Globe on 21 October 2025
When 68-year-old Catherine Connolly walked into a working-class apartment complex in north Dublin on Oct. 5, social media lit up as she sustained a row of “keepie-uppies,” juggling a soccer ball in the air without using her hands or arms. Heather Humphreys, 62, has been meeting business owners and farmers associations. Both Connolly and Humphreys are vying to be the next president of Ireland when voters go to the polls on Oct. 24.
A third candidate, Jim Gavin, 54, dropped out of the race in early October over an unpaid debt to a former tenant. Though he remains on the ballot, it is almost certain that Ireland’s next president will be a woman.
Connolly is an independent politician. She was once a member of the Labour Party; she was elected mayor of Galway and is currently a member of Parliament. The staunch advocate of the Irish language has served as deputy speaker of the Dáil (the lower house of the Irish Parliament). She has also worked as a clinical psychologist and a barrister. She was among the first to enter the presidential election and is being endorsed by Ireland’s left-wing parties: Sinn Féin, Labour, the Social Democrats, People Before Profit, and the Greens.
Humphreys — a former member of Parliament — is the candidate from Fine Gael, one of the two major parties in the current coalition government. She is a Presbyterian from an agricultural background in a county that borders Northern Ireland, and her father and husband were members of the British Unionist Orange Order. Following her career working in a bank, she held several ministerial positions, including justice, business and enterprise, and the arts. Her role as minister for rural and community development might help her win over rural voters.
Ireland will miss outgoing President Michael D. Higgins, whose two terms have been marked by him going off script and connecting with people at home and overseas. Described by The Irish Times as “scholar, poet, punk,” and often photographed with his dogs, he has drawn the ire of the government for his views on Ireland’s housing crisis and the war in Gaza. He led Ireland during a tumultuous era: austerity, rising unemployment, mass emigration, and staggering inflation. But he also saw the country legalize same-sex marriage and abortion.
Connolly and Humphreys have clashed over Ireland’s ties to the European Union: Connolly has criticized EU’s increased militarization, while Humphreys believes that the EU must defend itself.
Connolly has questioned Ireland’s current defense spending; in a debate in the Dáil in May 2024, she had stated that Ireland does not need an army. Humphreys has been questioned about the harsh austerity measures during the 2009 financial crisis; she has faced criticism for failing to learn Irish language when appointed minister for the Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking areas). However, both have been careful in choosing their words when asked about the possibility of a united Ireland.
While Humphreys has the vote of Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Connolly’s supporters have been organizing fund-raiser concerts for her campaign. Ivan Yates, a former minister, recently said that the only way to win against Connolly was to “smear the bejesus out of her.” News coverage has been skewed: Connolly has been repeatedly asked about her trip to Syria in 2018, during which she was seen with supporters of former president Bashar al-Assad. Humphreys’s evasive statements about austerity measures during the Katie Hannon show were not met with stern follow-up questions, but she was instead asked a frivolous question about where she would keep her toaster.
The president of Ireland signs legislation, ensures that the constitution is adhered to, and represents the country abroad. Humphreys wants the presidency to “open doors for Irish businesses overseas.” Connolly wants to be the president “who speaks for peace, not just abroad, but at home,” while defending Ireland’s neutrality. In the latest polls, Connolly is leading at 38 percent, with Humphreys at 20 percent; many are undecided or do not plan to vote, while 5 percent will vote for Gavin.
Whoever is elected would do well to remember the words of Higgins, who has led with his own convictions rather than following the tunes of civil servants or ruling parties: “In a couple of years’ time people will be able to resolve this issue themselves in relation to whether they want a silent person, a puppet, or whether they want a president.”