In a historic ceremony marked by celebration and political significance, Catherine Connolly has been officially sworn in as Ireland's tenth president at Dublin Castle.
A New Vision for Ireland
The 68-year-old former barrister used her inauguration speech on Tuesday to outline a progressive agenda, promising to create a "republic worthy of its name" where every voice would be heard. Speaking before government figures, ambassadors and former presidents Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese, Connolly declared her commitment to promoting climate action, tolerance and a Gaelic revival.
Connolly's election victory last month delivered a stunning blow to the political establishment, with the independent leftwing candidate securing 64% of the vote against the ruling Fine Gael party's candidate, Heather Humphreys.
Breaking from the Political Mainstream
In her address, the new president directly challenged what she described as the dominant political narrative. "We were led to believe that it was too great a leap, that our ideas were too far out, too left – at odds with the prevailing narrative," she stated.
Connolly emphasised that her landslide victory demonstrated how "the dominant narrative did not reflect or represent people's values and concerns", adding that it had served to "silence, to other, to label, to exclude and to stifle critical thinking."
The ceremony at Dublin Castle, formerly the seat of British rule in Ireland, featured traditional pomp including Connolly reviewing a guard of honour and receiving the presidential seal of office from Chief Justice Donal O'Donnel.
International Stance and Language Commitment
Connolly used her platform to address global issues, lamenting what she called "the normalisation of war and genocide" while championing Ireland's neutrality. She stated that Ireland's experience of colonisation and famine gave the nation "a mandate for Ireland to lead" in international affairs.
In a powerful moment, Connolly switched to Irish to declare that "Irish will not be spoken in a low voice in the Áras", referring to the presidential residence. She committed to giving the language first place as a working language, noting that "the hearts of our people were quenched when they were made to stop using their own language."
The ceremony concluded with a 21-gun salute as Ireland's new president formally began her seven-year term, promising to build on the activist presidency tradition established by her predecessor Michael D Higgins.
