Presidential election highlights: A tenant dispute, barristers and footballs
By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA
The 2025 presidential election has been unique in some parts, and repetitive in others.
It began with just three candidates on offer for the first time in 35 years, which then dropped to two candidates – for the first time in 50 years.
Here is a look at the standout moments of the campaign.
– Jim Gavin and a 16-year tenant dispute
The most dramatic moment of the election campaign was without doubt the shock withdrawal of Fianna Fáil’s presidential candidate Jim Gavin.
The former army pilot, 54, who was best known for his role as manager of the record-breaking Dublin football team that won five successive All-Ireland Championships, withdrew from the race three weeks before polling day and some three weeks after he was selected as Fianna Fáil’s candidate.
It came after a former tenant, deputy editor of the Sunday World Niall Donald, claimed he tried to recover €3,300 in overpaid rent from Mr Gavin 16 years ago.
Mr Gavin said in a statement on October 5th that he had made a mistake “not in keeping with my character”. It was later reported that the money had been repaid.
Mr Gavin’s withdrawal has left serious implications for Fianna Fáil, for party leader Micheál Martin who championed Mr Gavin as a candidate, and for the presidential election itself, as his name remains on the ballot.
– ‘Smears’
Presidential elections are notoriously tough affairs, but Ms Connolly’s campaign and supporters have claimed this one has crossed a line, and made accusations of “smear” tactics.
Comments by former Fine Gael minister and ex-broadcaster Ivan Yates added rocket fuel to the fire.
He said on his podcast that Fine Gael needed to respond to opinion polls putting Ms Connolly ahead by making attempts to “smear the bejaysus” out of her.
Ms Connolly said she was “absolutely shocked” and said he had “trivialised” the campaign. She said he had also “done me a favour … in that he’s absolutely exposed without hesitation what Fine Gael are up to”.
Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys has denied operating a smear campaign and said she was asking questions of Ms Connolly that were “legitimate” but not “nasty”.
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy also suggested there was a “smear” campaign by the media against Ms Connolly and said at her launch that she was not getting “favourable” media coverage.
– The many broadcast debates
There have been seven broadcast debates of presidential candidates, three of which were televised.
The debates on Virgin Media’s The Tonight Show and on RTÉ’s The Week In Politics featured three candidates, while the rest featured the final two contenders.
In addition, there have been many one-on-one interviews with the candidates on the airwaves, in the newspapers, and on podcasts.
– Eirigi
Ms Connolly has been asked many questions about hiring a woman for six months who was convicted by the Special Criminal Court for firearms possession and who was a member of the anti-peace process political party Eirigi.
After serving more than four years, she was recruited by Ms Connolly upon her release to work on a committee on the Irish language after being recommended to Ms Connolly by others.
As Garda clearance was pending, Ms Connolly gave her access daily for six months to the Houses of the Oireachtas, which has been criticised by Fine Gael and the Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan as bypassing security arrangements.
It has been said that signing someone in for a few weeks is normal practice while security clearance is pending.
The woman then left of her own accord because of the length of time of the security clearance process.
Ms Humphreys asked Ms Connolly during on-air debates whether she asked the woman “what she was going to use the guns for”.
Ms Connolly said the woman was a “model” prisoner, an example of the rehabilitation process in action, and said that the woman’s privacy had been “trampled on” to try to damage her.
– Syria visit
Catherine Connolly was asked several times about a 2018 visit to Syria, while she was a Galway TD, in which she encountered supporters of then-president Bashar Assad.
The Irish Times reported that one of the men Ms Connolly met in Syria was a leader of a group charged with killing Palestinians in a refugee camp.
She said she was not aware of this.
She also confirmed she paid for the trip using her Parliamentary Activities Allowance (PAA).
She maintained the trip was a “fact-finding mission” where they visited a Palestinian refugee camp outside Damascus, and that she had no control over who was in her presence on such trips.
– Lucia O’Farrell
Heather Humphreys has been repeatedly asked about Monaghan constituent Lucia O’Farrell, whose son Shane was hit and killed by a car driven by a man who should have been in jail.
The 23-year-old law graduate was cycling home in 2011 when he was hit by a car in Co Monaghan.
Ms O’Farrell has been critical of the former Cabinet minister’s level of support for her campaign for justice and their call for a public inquiry.
Ms Humphreys was asked about claims by Ms O’Farrell that Ms Humphreys did not contribute to Dáil debates about her son’s death, did not attend a vigil for Shane held outside Leinster House, and did not vote for an inquiry in 2018 or 2024.
Ms Humphreys said she made representations to ministers on the family’s behalf and said she was “sorry that the O’Farrell family feel it wasn’t enough”.
– Barristers
On Sunday, Ms Humphreys told the Sunday Independent she “never tried to capitalise on somebody’s misfortune and to make money out of it”, in reference to Ms Connolly’s time working as a barrister during the economic crash.
Ms Humphreys said Ms Connolly worked for “ UK banks” before she went into politics, while she worked in a credit union, “actually helping people to stay in their houses”.
Catherine Connolly's hypocrisy. pic.twitter.com/46ZE30e6eY
— Fine Gael (@FineGael) October 19, 2025
On the same day, Fine Gael published a video on X that focused on Ms Connolly’s work as a barrister, which includes a clip from Ms Connolly speaking in the Dáil in 2017 where she questions the actions of banks.
Ms Humphreys and Fine Gael have claimed any work by Ms Connolly representing financial institutions clashed with her remarks criticising banks in the Dail and at Galway City Council.
Ms Connolly accepted that she did work for financial institutions but worked for all types of clients.
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan, who is a barrister who previously represented Gerry Adams, defended the barrister ‘cab-rank rule’ and said it was not correct that criticism is directed at lawyers because of the clients they represent.
– Football solos
A moment of ‘cut-through’ in the election campaign was a clip of Ms Connolly doing keepy-uppies and playing basketball with children at the Courtney Place Flats in Dublin.
🔥 Catherine showing us how it’s done today in Courtney Place pic.twitter.com/FjEgBmNG1C
— Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) October 5, 2025
The clip, which has 2,500 shares on Ms Connolly’s Instagram and 185,000 likes on Sinn Féin’s TikTok, prompted a series of memes and those endorsing Ms Connolly to do so while soloing a football.
During a radio debate, Ms Humphreys said she had to “hand it” to Ms Connolly for her football skills, to which she replied: “I’ll teach you.”
– The social media war
Parallel to the broadcast debates and canvasses, a social media ground war has been taking place in both camps.
Spending on online ads and viral video moments are a vital part of election campaigns, but it remains to be seen how much online activity translates to votes at the ballot box.
A particular push has been made by Ms Connolly’s camp to encourage young voters to get out to vote on Friday – a demographic that traditionally is less likely to vote in large numbers and a group among which Ms Connolly appears to have significant support.
On Ms Connolly’s Instagram page, her campaign has encouraged people to “plan a polling day mate date” and “walk your dog to the polling station”, as well as organising a gig and a youth canvas on Monday to encourage people to vote.
Heather Humphreys has posted videos of her receiving the endorsement of former Fine Gael leader and ex-taoiseach Enda Kenny, three former deputy premiers and canvassing with Cabinet ministers.
– The smorgasbord of possible candidates
Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor, Riverdance star Michael Flatley and weather forecaster Joanna Donnelly were among well-known names to have suggested they would seek a nomination to become presidential candidates.
After months of suggesting on social media site X that he would seek nominations to become a presidential candidate, McGregor said hours before he was due to address Dublin City Council that he would no longer be contesting, calling the Irish constitution a “straitjacket”.
Flatley, who announced his intention to contest the presidency in July during a court case over works carried out at his Cork mansion, withdrew his interest in September.
Live Aid campaigner Bob Geldof spoke to Taoiseach Micheal Martin about becoming the Fianna Fail presidential nominee, but later said neither he nor Mr Martin were serious about the bid.
Dr Tony Holohan, chief medical officer during the Covid-19 pandemic, said he had concerns over the potential impact on his family as he ruled himself out of running.
There were also those who actively sought nominations to become presidential candidates, including mother-of-five Maria Steen and millionaire entrepreneur Gareth Sheridan.
Both failed to gather enough nominations – either from four local authorities or 20 members of the Irish parliament – to get on the presidential ballot.
Among the political names mentioned in the race for the Aras were Taoiseach Micheál Martin, former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty, Fine Gael MEP Sean Kelly, Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher and independent Senator Frances Black.
