Hugs and handshakes as Catherine Connolly inaugurated as president

It was a damp, drizzly morning in Dublin when those chosen to witness Catherine Connolly’s inauguration as president of Ireland began to file into St Patrick’s Hall in Dublin Castle.

But thoughts of the dull weather outside were banished by the gleaming chandelier and gilt decor that had been spruced up for the occasion.

Members of the government and opposition mingled as they found their places with figures including Galway Mayor Mike Cubbard and First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O’Neill seated side by side.

There was a warm welcome for Sabina Higgins with hugs and handshakes from her front row neighbours Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns, Labour leader Ivana Bacik and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald.

Richard Boyd Barrett was there in a leather jacket, part of his slow return to duties as leader of People Before Profit after spending most of the year being treated for cancer.

One of a family of 14, Catherine Connolly’s relatives filled a large section of seats

Her two sons – and their partners – sat in the seats closest to the dais where their mother took her oath of office.

She later thanked her family members for travelling from abroad for the occasion, saying they had come from all over the world.

As the music swelled, so did the numbers.

In came the dias party which included ministers, members of the council of state, and the religious leaders who would take part in the service of prayer and reflection.

The assembled crowd burst into applause as the now former president Michael D Higgins entered the hall and made his way to his seat.

There he joined Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese. Ireland’s living past presidents are now an exclusive club of three.

Of them, however, he is the only one to have sat in the inauguration chair used in Tuesday’s ceremony.

It was commissioned in 2011 and created by furniture maker John Lee, its outstretched arms designed to reflect the ambassadorial role of the president.

In it Ms Connolly sat through prayers and reflections read by a range of Ireland’s Christian leaders as well as representatives of Ireland’s Jewish, Islamic and Humanist communities.

As well as music performed by sean-nos singer and harpist and uilleann piper Eugene Lambe.

Behind her were members of Ireland’s Council of State including former taoiseach Bertie Ahern who had, at one point, voiced hopes of running for the role himself.

Ms Connolly beamed through the Declaration of Office, before receiving the Presidential Seal, then starting her speech and eliciting a chuckle from her audience by telling them: “We can breathe a little.”

There were smiles too from those she thanked in her speech, which touched on the dangers of climate change, the possibility of a United Ireland and the importance of the Irish language.

And then the Army Number 1 Band and mezzo-soprano Gemma Ni Bhriain launched into the National Anthem and Catherine Connolly left St Patrick’s Hall Ireland’s 10th president.

Outside she undertook her first duty as the supreme commander of the Defence Forces and inspected the guard of honour in the castle’s courtyard.

Then followed another inspection, this time of the third and fourth class children from Francis Street School who had braved the rain to wave tricolours for the new president.

She and her husband Brian McEnery chatted, shook hands and exchanged high fives with pupils and teachers, Ms Connolly’s purple outfit a near identical colour to pupils’ school uniform.

The her motorcade swept off to her new home, and workplace, Aras an Uachtarain.