Catherine Connolly tops opinion poll while support for Jim Gavin falls

The first major opinion poll in the Race to the Áras shows that Catherine Connolly is the most popular choice to become the President in three weeks.

By a sharp contrast, Jim Gavin is the third choice for the public, according to the Ireland Thinks polling in the Sunday Independent.

Ms Connolly sits on 32 per cent, with Fine Gael's choice Heather Humphreys in second on 23 per cent.

Mr Gavin is third on 15 per cent.

If reflected at the polls on October 24th, it would be a disaster for Fianna Fáil and Micheál Martin.

Crucially for them, a large section of the public remains undecided, according to the Ireland Thinks poll, with 31 per cent of respondents saying they weren't certain who to vote for.

The three candidates will all feature in the second major presidential debate on Sunday.

They will take part on RTÉ's This Week In Politics show at midday.