Connolly, who has been the underdog ‘all her life’, on her presidential vision

Catherine Connolly has said she has been the underdog all her life as the frontrunner outlined her vision to expand the role of the Irish presidency.

The independent candidate, 69, who is backed by several left-wing opposition parties, is ahead in the presidential campaign according to opinion polls.

The Galway TD and former barrister, who said the reaction to her campaign has been “overwhelming”, is in pole position to become Ireland’s 10th president.

The contest is between Ms Connolly and Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys, who served at Cabinet for 10 years, after Fianna Fail’s candidate Jim Gavin dramatically dropped out of the race a week ago.

“All my life, I suppose I (have been) the underdog, but I don’t really take polls on too seriously,” she told the PA news agency.

“I feel I stood for the reasons I’ve outlined, and over 12,000 volunteers have come on board, the parties have come on board.

“I have emphasised at every point that I’m an independent candidate who wants to draw support from all parties and none.”

She told PA she is hoping to “draw votes from Fianna Fail” after Mr Gavin’s exit.

“I think there’s a golden opportunity here for Fianna Fail to give (me) a number one… because of the similarities of the themes that I’m articulating and what Fianna Fail stood for, or stands for, actually, in terms of a united Ireland, in terms of neutrality, in terms of the triple lock that Micheal Martin, going back, said was a core part of our neutrality.

“So I think there’s a golden opportunity there for the members now to look and support me for the greater good, for the common good.”

Ms Connolly said previously that she would like to continue to expand the role of president if she is elected as president.

Mr Higgins has previously been accused of “politicising” the largely symbolic role, for example when speaking out about Ireland’s housing crisis.

Asked how far she would expand the role, Ms Connolly referred to the vow the president takes to “dedicate my abilities to the service and welfare of the people of Ireland”.

“And therein is scope – what is in the interest of the welfare of the people of Ireland, is it in their interest that we have over 16,000 people homeless?”

Asked about how she would handle US President Donald Trump if he were to visit Ireland, she said as deputy speaker she hosted Joe Biden’s visit to the Irish parliament even though his record on Israel-Palestine “left a lot to be desired”.

Asked if she found that difficult, she said: “It’s not difficult to act as a human being and to fulfil the role that you’ve been given.

“I did that as leas Cheann Comhairle for four and a half years, and I listened to perspectives and opinions from all sides of the House without any difficulty, because we have to make a democracy work, it’s all we have.”

At a canvass in Firhouse Community Centre during the week, Ms Connolly heard concerns about housing, local transport, carers and disability services.

One woman told her she seems “authentic” and asked her to speak up for carers if she was to win.

“I have stood proudly before every electorate and said I would rather lose votes than change what matters (to me),” Ms Connolly told that gathering.

“I will be your voice as president. I will come back to you and I will listen to you.

“The Taoiseach has to inform the president of the day on a regular basis, that will be an active meeting with both sides giving input, not just the Taoiseach, but the president also reflecting what’s been said to me around the country.”

Speaking to PA later, Ms Connolly said she hoped to revisit the majority of the places she has been during the presidential campaign because she gave “a solid promise that I would go back and listen”.

“And I will do that.”

Asked how she would be different from Mr Higgins, who she said has “courage and spoken out when necessary”, she said: “I think each president does it differently and and they bring their own characteristics to bear.

“I was moulded and shaped from a very early age to the importance of equality, of social justice.”

She said she has received praise for highlighting the importance of second chances, after she came under question for her employment of a woman who had a Special Criminal Court conviction – who, as a result, had access to Leinster House for six months while her security clearance was pending.

“(While canvassing last Sunday) in Dublin, people thanked me for highlighting that people need second chances and the importance of that.

“It has come up in different places in the inner city in Dublin, I’ve got letters of support from people who worked in prisons to say ‘thank you for highlighting this, because we do our best’.”

Asked if she finds the media in Ireland hard to trust, after stating it was “a breach of our privacy laws” that the woman’s name and image had been published, she said: “I think the media have a job to do.”

On Israel-Palestine, Ms Connolly said the UN “quite clearly” needs reform, and that Ireland should be “championing” that reform.

“It worries me intensely, the breach of international law on a regular basis, by Russia invading Ukraine, by Israel carrying out genocide, Israel going into Iran, Israel bombing Qatar, and getting away with it all under the framework of self defence.

“Absolutely, what Russia has done has breached international law, but we must use the same standards with other countries as well, or our credibility is at stake.

“The resilience of the Palestinian people has just been an example to the world.”

Asked if she believed the UK government should publish its criteria for calling a border poll, she said her role would have nothing to do with policy.

“I think my role as president would be to facilitate more cross-community dialogue,” she said.

“I think that’s where my focus will be on the amount of work being done on the ground by civic organisations, (the) meticulous, methodical, difficult work, bringing people together, either physically or in zoom meetings, and working through the problems and the challenges that are there.”