Connolly supported by majority of Tipp voters

A breakdown of the results from both Tipperary North and Tipperary South showed that Independent left-wing candidate Catherine Connolly secured a decisive victory in each constituency.

The Galway West TD was declared Ireland’s president-elect on Saturday, having secured 63 per-cent of first-preference votes nationally, more than twice that of the Fine Gael candidate, Heather Humphreys, on 29 per-cent. Fianna Fáil’s Jim Gavin, who withdrew from the race in early October, finished on 7 per-cent, while the total number of spoiled ballots was close to 13 per-cent. The total number of votes cast on a national level was 1,656,436 - amounting to a turnout of 46 per-cent, which is relatively low by Irish standards.

In Tipperary North, the overall turnout amounted to 47 per-cent. There were 32,026 votes cast out of a total electorate of 68,163. Ms Connolly secured 58 per-cent of first-preference votes (16,259), well above Ms Humphreys on 33 per-cent (9,217), and Jim Gavin on 9 per-cent (2,551). There were 3,999 spoiled ballots in the constituency, which equates to roughly 12 per-cent.

In the south of the county, the overall turnout was marginally lower at 44 per-cent. 29,128 votes were cast out of a total electorate of 65,957. Catherine Connolly garnered close to 62 per-cent of first-preference votes (15,563), while Heather Humphreys finished on 31 per-cent (7,793) and Jim Gavin on 8 per-cent (1,883). There were 3,889 spoiled ballots, which equates to roughly 13 per-cent.

Tipperary is generally regarded as a useful barometer of rural voter sentiment. Although Ms Connolly did not visit Nenagh during the course of the campaign, she did make repeated stops in towns such as Thurles and Clonmel. She won overwhelming backing in both constituencies, with results broadly mirroring the overall national trend.

Watershed moment

In a statement, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald described the result as “stunning” and paid tribute to Catherine Connolly, adding that this election was “perhaps a watershed moment in Irish politics, in which the combined opposition came together to take on Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.”

Connolly launched her presidential election campaign on July 11, and quickly emerged as a unity candidate of the left. Sinn Féin gave the Galway West TD their backing on September 20.

The leaders of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris, were both present at the declaration of the official result in Dublin Castle on Saturday night. In a statement issued on Saturday, the Taoiseach described Ms Connolly’s campaign as “successful and impact-

ful”, acknowledging that she had secured a “clear mandate to represent the people of Ireland as Uachtarán na hÉireann over the next seven years.” Writing on social media, the Tánaiste expressed similar sentiments, saying that Connolly would be “President for all our people across the island”.

In her victory speech at Dublin Castle on Saturday night, Connolly told the public that “we can shape a new Republic”. She said that she would be a president “who listens and reflects” and issued a message to those gathered to use their voice in every way “because our Republic and our democracy needs constructive questioning”. She also highlighted core themes of her campaign, such Ireland’s policy of neutrality and the challenge of climate change. First elected to the Dáil in 2016, the former psychologist and barrister will be inaugurated as the tenth president on November 11.