‘If it was a boxing match, it would have been stopped’ – Political parties give their reaction to first presidential debate

From ‘sloppy’ to ‘safe’, candidates were careful in their performance

Presidential candidates, from left, Independent candidate Catherine Connolly, Jim Gavin of Fianna Fáil and Heather Humphreys of Fine Gael with presenter Kieran Cuddihy at the first televised debate of the 2025 Presidential Election campaign on Virgin Media’s The Tonight Show in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

The first televised presidential debate aired on Monday night on Virgin Media after a manic few weeks of teasing, door-stepping and faux pas.

Independent Catherine Connolly, Fine Gael nominee Heather Humphreys and Fianna Fáil’s candidate Jim Gavin faced off against each other in a debate that failed to get the juices flowing, but certainly got chins wagging.