Independent candidate Catherine Connolly has won the Irish presidential election and will become the 10th president of Ireland after winning 63% of votes.
It was a landslide victory for Connolly, who was backed by Sinn Féin, Labour, the Social Democrats, Green Party, and People Before Profit. She received 914,143 votes, compared to her rival Heather Humphrey’s 424,987 votes with 29.5% of the vote share.
Although Jim Gavin withdrew from the process, his name was still on the ballot – he received 7.1% of the votes. Almost 13% of the total ballots were spoilt – compare that to the figure of 1.2% in the last presidential election in 2018, and the ‘spoil the vote’ campaign has seen relative success.
Catherine Connolly said it “will be a privilege to serve” in her victory speech at Dublin Castle, emphasising that she will be “an inclusive president.”
“Together we can shape a new republic that values everybody, that values and champions diversity and that takes confidence in our own identity, our Irish language, our English language, and the new people that have come to our country,” she added.
“I will be an inclusive president for all of you, and I regard it as an absoloute honour the vote I have been given. I will represent you nationally and internationally to the best of my ability, and as professionally and as humanely as possible.”
Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys conceded the election, and said that “Catherine will be a president for all of us, and she will be my president.”
“My family were subject to some absolutely awful sectarian abuse, I was disappointed because as a country I thought we had moved on from that. I do think there needs to be a greater understanding of other traditions within this country,” she added.
“If we are ever to have a united Ireland, we have to respect all traditions, that is something I think should be looked at.”
Heather Humphreys concedes presidential election and congratulates Catherine Connolly on victory pic.twitter.com/GBrxTzuE9Z
— Irish Independent (@Independent_ie) October 25, 2025
First Minister and Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O’Neill has said Connolly will be “a president for the people”.
“Today marks an era of hope. In Catherine Connolly, we have a President of Ireland with vision, compassion, and integrity. Catherine will be a President for the people, a passionate voice for every community across Ireland,” she said.
“This election has shown what can be achieved when parties committed to change and progress work together in common purpose. That is the clear pathway to a better, united future. I look forward to working with Catherine in the time ahead, for all the people of our island,” she added.
Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader Claire Hanna said: “On behalf of the SDLP, I offer our sincere congratulations to Catherine Connolly on her election as President of Ireland. We also extend best wishes to Heather Humphreys and commend her commitment to reconciliation and to focused dialogue about the future of this island.”
“The President of Ireland is far more than a symbolic figure. As well as representing this island on the world stage, past presidents have played a powerful healing role, reaching out to communities across the North and acting as a force for reconciliation and progress,” she added.
“The SDLP believes President Connolly can use her term to provide a platform for honest discussion about a New Ireland. This conversation is not going away, and the President has a unique convening role in helping to shape it.”
Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said: “As Democrats, we accept the will of the people of the Republic of Ireland in electing Catherine Connolly as their 10th President, or Uachtarán na hÉireann, and congratulate her on her election. I look forward to seeing her demonstrate full respect for the 1998 Belfast Agreement and the principle of consent that underpins it”
“She will be aware of the concerns of the Protestant, Unionist and Loyalist communities here in Northern Ireland, and those within her own jurisdiction concerning her political and geopolitical views, not least regarding the future constitutional status of Northern Ireland,” he added.
“It would also be remiss not to deplore the reaction of many to Heather Humphries’ background as a Protestant. Even the response to her tangential association with the Orange Order stands in contrast to the acceptance of elected representatives from other traditions in the Northern Ireland Assembly.”
Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister said: “Contrary to the spin, Catherine Connolly’s election as president of the Irish Republic is no great leap forward for an all Ireland. Quite the contrary is the case.”
“Ms Connolly’s election is in fact a disaster for anyone promoting an all Ireland. She will be a toxic and divisive figure. Connolly represents the most militant and ideological strand of southern nationalism, and she will be deeply unpopular among unionists — even more so than her predecessor, which is quite an achievement in itself,” he added.
“Far from advancing their cause, the nature of this election has set back the so-called agreed Ireland project. The campaign descended into open sectarianism, particularly after Sinn Fein entered the fray in support of the ultimate winner. The treatment of Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys — targeted and abused because of her Protestant background — exposed the ugly undercurrent of intolerance that still runs through southern politics.”
