Neutrality among the hot topics during candidate Connolly’s visit to Cork

Catherine Connolly spent the weekend in Cork, meeting people on the Coal Quay, the English Market, the Marina Market, and several shopping centres, as well as the weekly rally for Palestine, where she was one of the speakers.

She told The Echo during an interview at the office of Social Democrats TD Pádraig Rice that, although she knew she was well known in the West of Ireland, she was pleasantly surprised that she didn’t have a problem with recognition in Cork.

“People knew me and were coming up to me. That doesn’t mean they were agreeing with me, but they were coming up to me,” she said.

For those who didn’t know her, she said that, as a TD, “I’ve spoken on housing, health, climate change, violence against women, rights for people with disabilities over and over since I was elected.”

If elected president, she hopes to continue this and be “a voice for peace”.

She has been travelling across Ireland in recent weeks, with Social Democrats, Labour, People Before Profit, and Independent TDs arranging events for her to attend in their constituency, and she has also made herself available on four public forums.

“From day one, I made that commitment to make myself available to people on the ground,” she said.

“I’ve been asked every question, I’ve never evaded a question, and I think that’s as it should be.”

She is currently one of just three confirmed candidates, the other two being Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys and Fianna Fáil-backed Jim Gavin. Ms Connolly said: “I wish them the very best of luck. I’ve concentrated on my campaign; my team has enough to do to get my message out.”

Asked if she would like to see other candidates in the race, either through the few undeclared TDs or the council nomination process, she said: “It’s a question of what’s important for democracy.

“I think at some stage perhaps we need a rational discussion and debate as to whether it would be useful in the interest of democracy to look at the nomination process.

“Obviously that’s not going to happen for this election, but I think it’s perhaps something we could look at, whether it should be more open. It would be better if that discussion was done not in the context of an election.”

Regarding the current President, she said: “I have the utmost respect for Michael D Higgins. He’s been very courageous, and I think courage is a quality we need in a President. To stand up and use your voice in a courageous manner, I think he’s done that very well and I think the previous presidents, Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese, have done that well too.

“I made my decision to run, as I did for the leas cheann comhairle, based on what I thought was right. It wasn’t on the basis of winning, it was on the basis of the importance of standing up.

“I made the decision based on my experience, my horror of war, my horror of the normalisation of genocide, and many other issues that made me feel I needed to stand up. There weren’t other candidates standing up, and I said: ‘This is the right thing to do’.

“It wasn’t based on if I could afford it, and it wasn’t based on party support, though I very much appreciate the support.”

She said she had not heard from Sinn Féin recently, but “months ago” had contact with Mary Lou McDonald, who told her that they had a process of choosing a candidate. The party is set to announce if it will run a candidate or support one by September 20.

Ms Connolly is “absolutely thrilled” with the parties and Independents that have supported her. “I was also encouraged by people who made long journeys across Ireland to say ‘please do this’, who sent messages, letters, phone calls, and emails.”

Fianna Fáil presidential candidate Jim Gavin has said he is in favour of the abolition of the triple lock, which requires Ireland to get UN approval if it wants to send Defence Forces personnel abroad as peacekeepers, but Ms Connolly said she would strongly oppose this.

“The triple lock is absolutely essential. No lesser person than our Taoiseach told us it was at the core of our neutrality,” she said.

Neutrality was a big topic of conversation among people she met in Cork and elsewhere, she said, including a man who approached her in Mahon Point shopping centre.

“An academic who has come to this country asked me where do I stand on neutrality,” she said.

“He came to this country because of that policy; more than ever, he was saying, we need people who will use their voices for it.”

She said it was “deeply insulting and of serious concern” that a “narrative is being perpetuated on a regular basis that we’re freeloaders”.

“We don’t have an army; we have Defence Forces. We have a history of colonisation and we have endured the most horrific famine that’s still alive in our minds and psyche.

“We should be using that, building on that, and using our voices for peace. It’s becoming more and more important as the world is dividing up,” she said.

“I think we need a President that’s not afraid to speak out, at all times in compliance with the Constitution,” she said.

“As I travel around Ireland, they tell me it’s not in their interests to have 16,000 homeless, including 5,000 children, and it’s not in the welfare of the people of Ireland to be watching ongoing genocide — people are really upset and disturbed.

“Cork has distinguished itself with its vigilant protests for Palestine — yesterday was their 101st — that they’re an example.”