IRELAND is entering the final days of an extraordinary presidential election in which — for the first time in modern history — the left is co-operating strategically, something long discussed but never achieved.

Catherine Connolly’s presidential campaign has brought together Sinn Fein, the Social Democrats, the Labour Party, People Before Profit, the Green Party and left independents in a shared political project.

Connolly, an Independent TD from Galway, has a record of integrity, independence and social conscience and Sinn Fein has proudly supported her candidacy.

A campaign that speaks to people’s hopes 

Connolly’s campaign has gathered significant momentum because it has refused to play by the usual rules. She speaks of the presidency as a platform for inclusion, decency and vision — a space to unite the Irish people at home and abroad around shared values of social justice, military neutrality, and Irish unity.

From her Future Voices initiative — a presidential plan to listen directly to young people from all backgrounds and traditions north and south — to her consistent advocacy for housing, carers, and climate justice, Connolly’s message has been about giving voice to those struggling for a more equal society.

Her campaign has been powered by thousands of volunteers from every walk of life — trade unionists, artists, Irish language activists, healthcare workers and community organisers. Her rallies have been genuine people’s gatherings.

Why Sinn Fein backs Catherine Connolly 

Sinn Fein’s decision to back Connolly followed extensive internal consultation and the party’s reasoning is clear and principled.

First, we believe the office of president belongs to the people, not the government parties. After 14 years of President Michael D Higgins, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail would dearly love to recapture the presidency and use it as an extension of their political duopoly. But Catherine Connolly would represent genuine independence of mind and moral courage in the office.

Secondly, Catherine stands for the values Sinn Fein holds dear — Irish unity, international solidarity, respect for Irish neutrality, social justice, gender equality and cultural renewal.

Thirdly, Catherine is committed to moving the peace process forward to its next phase at a time when the Irish political establishment is irresponsibly refusing to prepare for a border poll, despite the rapid pace of changes taking place in the North of Ireland. Catherine’s vision of an inclusive Ireland, confident in itself and respectful of difference, resonates deeply with our own.

As Mary Lou McDonald put it at the campaign launch: “We can elect a president who will champion a united Ireland, stand up for Ireland’s place in the world as a defender of neutrality and human rights, and speak out for fairness and economic justice.”

Michelle O’Neill echoed that sentiment, describing Connolly as “a woman of decency, independence and heart — someone who will speak for every community on this island.”

A people’s movement, not a party machine 
This is not Sinn Fein’s campaign but it is one we have been proud to help build — because it is part of a wider energy which seeks to transform Irish politics.

That spirit is visible in the working-class communities of Belfast and Derry, in the Gaeltacht villages of Connemara, in Dublin’s inner city and among the Irish diaspora. It is the belief that politics can be honest, decent and rooted in the lives of ordinary people.

The wider significance 

Catherine Connolly’s candidacy has become a defining moment in Irish politics.

Her campaign unites the left in a common cause rooted in the themes of social justice, equality, military neutrality, and Irish unity.

This co-operation signals something new — a recognition that the next phase of Irish politics will not simply be about party competition, but about aligning forces around a coherent alternative government.

The presidential campaign has already succeeded in one clear respect — it has made a Irish unity and military neutrality unavoidable topics in the national conversation.

Whatever the outcome on polling day, Catherine Connolly’s campaign has already has a major political effect. It has lifted people’s expectations of what the presidency — and indeed Irish politics — can be.

Sinn Fein stands proudly beside Catherine Connolly in that effort, confident that a victory for Catherine would be a victory for decency, equality, and the belief that another Ireland is not only possible, but already taking shape before our eyes.