{"id":51589,"date":"2025-09-29T23:35:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T23:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/51589\/"},"modified":"2025-09-29T23:35:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T23:35:09","slug":"housing-immigration-and-united-ireland-discussed-by-three-candidates-in-first-tv-debate-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/51589\/","title":{"rendered":"Housing, immigration and united Ireland discussed by three candidates in first TV debate \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Main Points First televised debate of the presidential campaign<\/a> takes place on Virgin Media<\/a> at 10pm. It features just three candidates \u2013 Independent Catherine Connolly<\/a>, Fine Gael\u2019s Heather Humphreys<\/a> and Fianna F\u00e1il\u2019s Jim Gavin<\/a>. Today Humphreys and Gavin were canvassing in Dublin while it is understood that Connolly was focusing on her debate preparation.Further presidential debates are planned on Prime Time and The Week in Politics.The election takes place on Friday, October 24th, with counting beginning the following day.Best Reads <\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 22 minutes ago<\/p>\n

The debate was not helped by the fact that the candidates chose mainly not to engage with each other, or lock horns, with a few exceptions. There was the contradiction of a confrontational forum involving three candidates trying not to sound confrontational as that will be interpreted as not being presidential. A very delicate balancing act and one that does not lend itself to robust debate. <\/p>\n

Gavan Reilly, political editor of VMTV, has been picking up reaction to the debate from the candidates as they emerge from studio. <\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 23 minutes ago<\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 50 minutes ago<\/p>\n

\"ReportersReporters watch the presidential debate from the Virgin boardroom in Ballymount Dublin. Photo: Bryan O\u2019Brien \/ The Irish Times<\/p>\n

So on social media, the supporters of all three are claiming victory and picking out faux pas, or comments made by their opponents that do not show them in a good light. <\/p>\n

Kieran Cuddihy was direct and competent throughout. A live televised political debate is by its nature a confrontational forum. The inherent contraction in a presidential debate is that all try to come across as non-confrontational because it may give the impression that they are not presidential. That does not lend itself to the most exciting television. <\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 54 minutes ago<\/p>\n

Post debate reaction Closing Remarks<\/p>\n

Gavin says he will be a unifying force, Humphreys says, \u201cI love this country\u201d and Connolly says she will represent this country with pride, courage and integrity.<\/p>\n

Who has gained the most? Connolly gave the most assured performance (which was expected) but she will not be everybody\u2019s cup of lemon tea. She positioned herself very much to the left and the phrases that will be remembered will be \u201cindustrial military complex\u201d and \u201cneoliberal\u201d ideology. <\/p>\n

Humphreys was low-key throughout and tried to sound measured and did not raise the decibel level to what we might have expected of her when she was on her feet in the D\u00e1il.<\/p>\n

Gavin was the most urgent of the three but as a person who is non political \u2013 and has clearly no huge experience of fast-moving debates \u2013 he struggled to assert himself at times or to fully make the points he wanted to make. <\/p>\n

Unlike the three-way debate between Simon Harris, Miche\u00e1l Martin and Mary Lou McDonald, there was no ganging up or team-tagging. In the round, the debate never really elevated above the pedestrian. <\/p>\n

Connolly was the most persuasive and fluent but the debate reinforced that her attraction as a candidate will be to those with left-wing views and she may struggle to attract less ideological supporters. <\/p>\n

As of now, as has been, the election looks like it will come down to how heavily the Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael candidates transfer to each other on October 24th. <\/p>\n

Is Catherine a Sinn F\u00e9in candidate?<\/p>\n

Connolly refers to Article 3, hardly a siren call for a united Ireland now. Cuddihy asks her is her view the same as her fellow presidential candidates. <\/p>\n

\u201cI would hope there is a united Ireland within my term of President,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Heather Humphreys says she is \u201cproud Ulster woman and I\u2019m a proud republican in the say as the United Irishmen of 1798 and Henry John McCracken.. So we need towards united people first\u201d.<\/p>\n

Jim Gavin says he has worked all his life with managing change and big projects. He says as President he will work towards reconciliation. <\/p>\n

All of them have said they will serve only one term (or their focus is on one term for now) and all say they will accept the full salary, although Connolly says she will give some to causes. <\/p>\n

And now on to the next topic <\/p>\n

Military Industrial Complex, Military Industrial Complex, Military Industrial Complex #aras2025<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Eoin O’Malley (@AnMailleach) September 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

No, not the military industrial complex but housing. Humphreys agrees that it is a \u201cdisaster\u201d for people who can\u2019t get houses. \u201cI have to accept that we did not achieve all we wanted to achieve in housing,\u201d she says, adding it is a complex problem. <\/p>\n

\u201cEvery Minister for Housing did their best but we did not achieve what we wanted to achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cuddihy brings up the record numbers of homelessness as well as missed targets. <\/p>\n

Gavin: \u201cIt is and it is not simply good enough. I\u2019m the parent of teenage kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cuddihy: Did that make you ask yourself why you should represent Fianna F\u00e1il in this election? Your party has had an abject failure in housing.\u201d <\/p>\n

Gavin responds by saying that the President will bring influence to bear. He said he agreed to stand because of the positive role that he can play. <\/p>\n

Connolly says that few houses built since 2009. She says that the solution was the market and a neoliberal philosophy. She says the Government failed to build public houses on public land and that is the simple solution. <\/p>\n

(Are they keeping a clock on this? Connolly seems to have far more speaking time than her rivals). <\/p>\n

Cuddihy is noncombative for the first time as he allow her a very full response. <\/p>\n

Humphreys takes issue and says there is nothing simple about it. <\/p>\n

A debate about following market or public solutions ensues.<\/p>\n

Now the link between American football and the US military<\/p>\n

Cuddihy presses the point there is an \u201cinextricable link\u201d between the NFL and the US military. <\/p>\n

Gavin rejects that direct link. He points to the Rooney family who own the Pittsburg Steelers. \u201cLast week they gave \u20ac200,000 to schools in Newry. There\u2019s a there\u2019s a huge link between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Irish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Connolly says she \u201ccertainly had concerns\u201d about Barack Obama being given the freedom of Dublin City.<\/p>\n

She again return to the \u201cmilitary-industrial complex\u201d (her favourite term). She claims that the establishment here is blinkered and alleges that the Government is not acting. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s one thing to say it and it\u2019s another thing to act.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now there\u2019s the first row where Gavin objects to Connolly using his quote about military objectives reached. Gavin protests that he has said there are war crimes happening every day. Cuddihy points out to him that he did use that term. Gavin does not respond to the question about when the objectives were reached but says that what has happened was horrific. <\/p>\n

Connolly is relaxed and is sticking to a left-wing view. Humphreys is staying out of the fray. Gavin is more involved but he is not an experienced political debater and occasionally struggles to get his point fully across. <\/p>\n

Back after the break<\/p>\n

The debate now turns to the incident involving an NFL player at the weekend with Cuddihy widening it out to ask is society safe and the perception that walking the city streets is unsafe. <\/p>\n

If people feel that it is unsafe that is unfortunate, says Heather. <\/p>\n

Gavan talks about his work with the North Inner City Taskforce and partly contradicts Humphreys assertion that there is more garda\u00ed on the street by saying there is not enough and the city is safer but not safe enough. <\/p>\n

Connolly says that she has seen a complete lack of Garda presence on the ground. \u201cThe other part was a complete lack of understanding by the powers that be for the need for community guards on the ground walking around and a presence or on bicycles where we can engage with them and feel safer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gavin jumps back in to defend the inner city. \u201cIt\u2019s a great part of Dublin. We have great people. We need to remember when you walk to Connolly Station, or to Croke Park, you are walking through the kids and that\u2019s their playground.\u201d<\/p>\n

Connolly is very relaxed compared to Gavin. <\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

The first big clash is on direct provision and asylum seeker<\/p>\n

It has relatively low key so far. Connolly has been assertive. Humphreys has tried to be measured and not over-react. Gavin has been much more on the front foot that he has been even though he has seemed nervous at times (even though this could very well be his natural style of delivery). <\/p>\n

The first big clash was on direct provision and on asylum seekers. Gavin welcomed immigration but said there was a need for a \u201crobust but fair immigration system\u201d. <\/p>\n

Catherine Connolly is harshly critical of the direct provision process. When Cuddihy puts it to her that some of them are not asylum seekers and have had their claims rejected she replies. \u201cWe are talking about human beings and about a conflation of issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

Now questions turn to the Irish flag being erected on streets of certain communities<\/p>\n

Neither Jim Gavin nor Heather Humphreys say the flags should be taken down but both separately emphasise that the flags are a symbol of unity. Cuddihy points out, reasonably, that those who erect them would not hold that view. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think we need to speak to people to let them understand that that is wrong,\u201d says Humphreys. \u201cWe do not want a divisiveness in society, and that\u2019s what I\u2019ve been saying as part of my presidential campaign. I want to try to bring unity in many parts of this country, in communities where there\u2019s division, where we need to sit down and have those conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Connolly says the motive for putting up the flags is wrong and that the President will need to show leadership against a \u201cloud minority\u201d. <\/p>\n

She adds: \u201cA vacuum has arisen that allows this particular group to turn their anger in the wrong way and on the wrong people and the use of the symbol in the wrong manner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"IrishIrish presidential candidates, Catherine Connolly, Jim Gavin and Heather Humphreys. Niall Carson\/PA Wire <\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

Did Catherine Connolly compare the German government to Nazis?<\/p>\n

Kieran Cuddihy asks: \u201cIt\u2019s slightly untenable. Is it to ask Labor Party supporters here to vote for you while you\u2019re comparing their colleagues to Nazis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Connolly does not respond directly to the question but stresses, strongly, that she is an Independent candidate and not beholden to any party.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a presidential election, and I\u2019m an independent candidate. I made my decision because it was the right decision. (When I decided to stand) I didn\u2019t base it on party support, nor on the money I had. Obviously party support is very welcome. I\u2019ve made that clear. But as an independent candidate, I\u2019m not a part of any party.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

Heather Humphreys talks about neutrality<\/p>\n

In her first contribution to the debate, it is notable that Humphreys is adopting a softer and measured approach. <\/p>\n

She talks about drones bombarding Ukraine. She agrees that more investment is need. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe live in a changing world. We have to support our Defence Forces. And when we look at the nature of war, it\u2019s changing. There are cyber attacks, there are different types of warfare now, and we certainly need to invest in our defence forces, and they have done us proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

Jim Gavin responds<\/p>\n

Gavin is a former military officer. He argues what choice do Germany, Latvia Estonia have but to protect their sovereignty. <\/p>\n

He criticises her support for retention of the triple lock. \u201cf you follow the policy of the triple lock that we have now, we won\u2019t have any peacekeeping …<\/p>\n

\u201cNo peacekeeping mission has been approved since 2014. That\u2019s 11 years being vetoed by Russia and other member states. I\u2019m proud of neutrality. I wore the uniform of peacekeeping on behalf of the Defence Forces, I proudly served with Oglaigh na hEireann. I wore the blue helmet. I wore the flak jacket. I\u2019ve seen the benefits of peacekeeping role and our neutrality and how well that was respected in Africa and the Middle East and other nations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

First Question to Catherine Connolly<\/p>\n

Kieran Cuddihy is straight in asking Catherine Connolly about her comments last week that drew parallels between the German defence budget now and the 1930s in that country. <\/p>\n

She does criticise Russia but she repeatedly refers to the military industrial complex and the build up of arms. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s certainly a threat posed by Russia. But in terms of meeting that threat, we should be using diplomatic approaches. We should be trying for peace. We\u2019re a neutral country, and we should be using our voice, small and all as we are, we should be using our voice to push for peace. And you know, when we look at the military industrial complex … and we see countries reducing their welfare budget.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

And now Jim Gavin. <\/p>\n

He is dressed in a sober suit with a blue tie. <\/p>\n

This is his opening address. <\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last four decades I\u2019ve served my country and its values in many different roles.<\/p>\n

From working in our most disadvantaged communities… to leading peacekeepers in Africa… I\u2019ve always worked to serve others.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve built teams which show how much we can achieve when we listen and when we respect each other.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no problem we cannot overcome when we work together.<\/p>\n

At a time of growing division, my commitment to you is that I will be a President for every section of society. A voice for all.<\/p>\n

Determined… Active… Positive.<\/p>\n

Working every day to show the good in our country and the values we all share.<\/p>\n

I look forward to this debate about the role of the President and how to strengthen the ties that bind us as a country.<\/p>\n

Go raibh maith agat.”<\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s Heather Humphreys<\/p>\n

She is dressed in a pink jacket, a black top and a colourful scarf. This is what she has said in her opening statement. <\/p>\n

\u201cTonight I am humbly asking you to place your trust in me to become the 10th Uachtar\u00e1n na h\u00c9ireann. <\/p>\n

I want to bring my life experience to the role of President.<\/p>\n

I worked for many years as a Credit Union manager; where I got to know people; and the challenges they faced.<\/p>\n

It was a great apprenticeship for public life.<\/p>\n

I was honoured to serve in Cabinet for over a decade.<\/p>\n

I led the 1916 Commemorations. <\/p>\n

I supported businesses through the pandemic; and I worked hard to ensure children across our country receive a Hot School meal.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a daughter, a mother and a grandmother.<\/p>\n

All my life I have seen the quiet strength of women.<\/p>\n

In my own family, in my community and right across this country, women have been the ones holding things together.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t promise perfection, but I will promise honesty, compassion and service.<\/p>\n

If you place your trust in me I will work to the best of my ability to make you proud and be a President for All.<\/p>\n

Go raibh maith agaibh.”<\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

It has begun<\/p>\n

The first up is Catherine Connolly as she begins her 60 second opening. <\/p>\n

She is dressed simply in a black jacket and white top. <\/p>\n

This is what she has said: <\/p>\n

\u201cDia dhaoibh a chairde<\/p>\n

Is c\u00fais br\u00f3id dom seasamh os bhur gcomhar agus v\u00f3ta \u00e1 lorg agam sa toghch\u00e1n uachtar\u00e1nachta.<\/p>\n

I am asking for the privilege of serving you as the 10th President of Ireland and to proudly represent this wonderful country on the National and International stage.<\/p>\n

As President and working together, we can shape a new United Republic, where everyone is valued, where diversity is cherished, where sustainable solutions are urgently implemented and where a home is a fundamental human right.<\/p>\n

A country where we raise our voice for the peaceful resolution to conflicts and war, drawing on our history of colonization, of famine and our lived experience of the successful peace process in the North.<\/p>\n

Le bhur dtoil, uimhir a haon \u00e1 lorg agam agus m\u00edle bu\u00edochas.”<\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

Just about to Go …<\/p>\n

The three candidates are in studio. Heather Humphreys is in the middle flanked on her right by Catherine Connolly and on the left by Jim Gavin. <\/p>\n

All will start with opening statements. <\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

\"IndependentIndependent candidate Catherine Connolly, Heather Humphreys of Fine Gael and Jim Gavin of Fianna F\u00e1il at the first televised debate of the 2025 Presidential Election campaign on Virgin Media\u2019s The Tonight Show in Dublin. <\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 3 hours ago<\/p>\n

More pictures of the candidates arriving\"PresidentialPresidential hopeful Jim Gavin of Fianna F\u00e1il arrives at the Virgin Media studios in Ballymount for the first TV debate between the three candidates.
\n Photo: Bryan O\u2019Brien \/ The Irish Times \"HeatherHeather Humphreys of Fine Gael arrives at the Virgin Media studios in Ballymount for the first TV debate between the three candidates.
\n Photo: Bryan O\u2019Brien \/ The Irish Times <\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 3 hours ago<\/p>\n

Jim Gavin and Heather Humphreys have arrived at Virgin Media TV studios<\/p>\n

Two of the presidential candidates, Jim Gavin and Heather Humphreys, have arrived at the studio of the broadcaster in Ballymount in southwest Dublin. <\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 3 hours ago<\/p>\n

Fail to prepare …<\/p>\n

As the candidates go through their final preparations for the debate, their supporters and team have been busy on social media. Here\u2019s a sample of some of the posts that have been published today. <\/p>\n

N\u00ed neart go cur le ch\u00e9ile<\/p>\n

Grateful to Ciar\u00e1n Kilkenny for the kind words and support, and for the chance to reflect on the values I\u2019ve aimed to carry with me throughout the different roles I\u2019ve had in my life. <\/p>\n

These are the same values I\u2019ll continue to carry forward. pic.twitter.com\/cjuRxghUAM<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jim Gavin For President (@gavinforthearas) September 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 3 hours ago<\/p>\n

Harry McGee – 3 hours ago<\/p>\n

There is a little over 90 minutes to go to the first of two live televised debates between presidential election candidates. <\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot of debate about how impactful these debates are in an age of social media. Certainly, it would be difficult for any debate to replicate the dramatic final debate of the 2011 election campaign, which put paid to Se\u00e1n Gallagher\u2019s hopes of winning the \u00c1ras election. <\/p>\n

A measure tonight of the impact will be the TV audience. It\u2019s not going to be anything approaching The Traitors (!) but if it\u2019s respectable it will make a difference. Besides, the vast majority of those who watch it will be those who vote. <\/p>\n

It will be the first opportunity that many of the electorate will have in assessing the three candidates, and seeing the colour of their money. There could also be the first bit of metaphorical bloodletting as the interviewer, Kieran Cuddihy, does not shy away from asking tough questions. <\/p>\n

Will a presidential campaign that has been low key and underwhelming so far explode into life? Will we see any early fallers? Will Heather Humphreys be nimble enough to think on her feet? Will Jim Gavin inject a bit of pace into his performance? Will Catherine Connolly be in a position to clarify some of her more radical comments, such as the parallels she drew between 1930s Germany and the current increase in defence spending in that country. <\/p>\n

Reporter Sarah Burns travelled to Mayo to see how presidential hopeful Jim Gavin is going down in a county where his sporting record may not be fully appreciated \u2013 and how voters are swinging in the county generally. You can read Burns\u2019s report here<\/a>. <\/p>\n

While we wait to see what happens in tonight\u2019s debate, it might be worth recalling what is surely the most dramatic and consequential presidential debate in the history of the Irish state.<\/p>\n

It was 2011 and both Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s Martin MGuinness and Fine Gael\u2019s Gay Mitchell were floundering while independent would-be president Sean Gallagher was flying high in the polls. <\/p>\n

Gallagher, who described himself as an entrepreneur and community activist, had previously been involved in Fianna F\u00e1il but had, as our political editor Pat Leahy recalled \u201cjust enough distance from his old party not to be contaminated by it, but remaining close enough to be attractive to Fianna F\u00e1il voters, who had no other candidate\u201d.<\/p>\n

Days before polling, two polls put him on 40 per cent. After coming from nowhere, Gallagher was on the brink of the presidency.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn a debate on the Monday night before polling day, hosted by Pat Kenny\u2019s Frontline programme on RT\u00c9, McGuinness began to raise questions about Gallagher\u2019s past fundraising for Fianna F\u00e1il; the front-runner was hesitant and vague; \u201cIf he gave me an envelope … If he gave me the cheque, it was made out to Fianna F\u00e1il headquarters,\u201d he said,\u201d wrote Leahy in a piece for this newspaper. <\/p>\n

Then Kenny announced that the McGuinness campaign had tweeted that the man who gave Gallagher a \u20ac5,000 cheque would appear at a Sinn F\u00e9in press conference the following day. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a bombshell. It was also untrue. It was from a fake Twitter account; there was no press conference. But Gallagher was on the floor now, and bleeding. All the next day, he tried to clarify. But things got worse \u2013 the RT\u00c9 programme had tied him to Fianna F\u00e1il and he couldn\u2019t get away,\u201d Leahy said. <\/p>\n

A subsequent review found that the programme was unfair, and Gallagher would take significant damages from RT\u00c9. The review also found the programme had given Michael D Higgins a softer ride than other candidates. Support lurched spectacularly in the final three days and Higgins won handsomely.<\/p>\n

Will see such fireworks tonight? <\/p>\n

It hardly seems likely but sure who knows.<\/p>\n

Now that the campaigns are up and running in earnest – if earnest is not too much of a stretch on a day that can best be described as quiet – you might be interested in taking a looking at those behind the candidates. If you are, Harry McGee has you covered.<\/a> <\/p>\n

When it comes to tonight\u2019s debate the three candidates are to be given 60 seconds to deliver their elevator pitch at the outset of each topic with 30 seconds to close it off. <\/p>\n

Lots were drawn to determine who sits where with Connolly set to be seated in between Humphreys and Gavin who will be sitting closest to the host Kieran Cuddihy. <\/p>\n

Virgin Media is \u201cconscious of the fact many people don\u2019t know much about the candidates yet and so they need to be given time and space to get their views across\u201d although they are promising it will be \u201ctopic led\u201d. <\/p>\n

Conor Pope – 10 hours ago<\/p>\n

Does it matter if someone running for the presidency can speak Irish<\/a> or not? Diarmaid Ferriter thinks so.<\/p>\n

Conor Pope – 10 hours ago<\/p>\n

After some local radio interviews this morning, Jim Gavin has been to Sandymount Community Centre to attend a launch of Active Ageing Week.<\/p>\n

The busy centre which runs hosts an impressive array of classes and social groups for the local population is only a couple of miles from the city centre but not the first place that might spring to mind in terms of heartlands for the Dubs, reports Emmet Malone.<\/p>\n

That wasn\u2019t quite the challenge with locals Maxine Pilkington and Brigid Mohan, regulars at the centre who were there for the launch, however.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s from Ballybunion and I\u2019m from Mayo,\u201d said Ms Mohan with a laugh when asked about his background in Dublin GAA. Maybe not quite bankers for Gavin, then.<\/p>\n

The pair spoke briefly to the candidate as he mingled among the attendance of about 50 at the event and said he was \u201cvery polite,\u201d as indeed Heather Humphreys had been a couple of weeks ago when she visited. <\/p>\n

Centre manager, Jessica Ryan and one of the event\u2019s organiser\u2019s, Sarah O\u2019Callaghan said they hope to have Catherine Connolly drop by between now and polling day.<\/p>\n

Gavin, chatted to locals about the Defence Forces, gaelic games and the Listowel races among other things during the visit but didn\u2019t say much to the press before heading off to his next engagement and the centre regulars didn\u2019t seem much closer to having made their minds up on how they will vote by the time he left.<\/p>\n

Asked if they found the campaign interesting so far, Ms Pilkington said: \u201cNo, it\u2019s been quite dull recently, I think there might be a very low turnout\u2026 there might be quite a few spoilt votes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s only three candidates and, fair dues to them for running because I think it\u2019s very difficult to campaign like that, I think the role is actually easier than the campaign, but there\u2019s no front runner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both said they would watch the TV debate and hoped it would help them make up their minds but neither seemed all that hopeful the campaign would really take off in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

Did they think Maria Steen making it onto the ballot paper would have helped? <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it would have been more of an exciting campaign if she\u2019s been allowed to run,\u201d said Ms Pilkington. \u201cWe\u2018d have enjoyed watching the handbags anyway,\u201d added Ms Mohan as the pair broke into laughter again.<\/p>\n

Conor Pope – 10 hours ago<\/p>\n

We have some more from Emmet Malone in Sandymount.<\/p>\n

Asked about the fact some prominent Labour Party members clearly do not support Catherine Connolly Ms Bacik insisted Ms Connolly is a \u201cunifying force\u201d and the party is behind her.<\/p>\n

She said while there are issues her party doesn\u2019t agree with Ms Connolly on, she had been really pleased with the Candidate\u2019s performance so far, including at a public meeting in McGowan\u2019s bar in Harold\u2019s Cross when, she says, a couple of hundred people packed the place out to hear from the presidential candidate. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe had to turn people away because we couldn\u2019t accommodate them. And it was so hot Catherine said at the start it was only the second time in her life she\u2019d spoken in a sauna with her clothes on which brought the house down. But she spoke beautifully.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said Ms Connolly dealt well with questions about some of the issues raised over the previous week and said she had no issues with the tone of the media coverage to date.<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose, I\u2019m a veteran of two Michael D Higgins\u2019 campaigns, so I know the search and scrutiny the presidential candidates come under from the media. But Catherine was the first candidate in the field so there\u2019s no doubt she has been subject to more rigorous scrutiny by the media than any of the other candidates that have come in later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conor Pope – 11 hours ago<\/p>\n

After Maria Steen\u2019s failure to get the gang from last year\u2019s successful No campaigns in the family and care referendums back together for the presidential elections, Ivana Bacik says Catherine Connolly\u2019s campaign is based another successful campaign of recent years, Repeal, reports Emmet Malone. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe model we use is the Repeal campaign where, again, we had a broad church, a lot of different organisations and political parties,\u201d she said at an event to mark the start of Positive Ageing Week at Sanymount Community Centre, which was also attended by presidential candidate Jim Gavin on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was on the national steering committee for Together for Yes, and there was a lot of managing of things when you have a lot of different parties, for sure. But it\u2019s working really well. It\u2019s a campaign that is getting a great momentum. We were canvassing in Portobello yesterday for Catherine and it was stunning, there was brilliant support. So we\u2019ll be out again tonight. We\u2019re out all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Bacik said the parties are cooperating well on the campaign with TD Ciar\u00e1n Ahern representing Labour at the regular campaign meeting where Pearse Doherty is representing Sinn F\u00e9in, a measure Mary Lou McDonald said over the weekend, of that party\u2019s commitment to the cause. <\/p>\n

Conor Pope – 11 hours ago<\/p>\n

The centre piece of today\u2019s campaigning is not likely to take place on the doorsteps of Ireland but on its television sets with the first debate between the three contenders starting at 10pm on Virgn Media. <\/p>\n

Fine Gael\u2019s Heather Humphries and Fianna Fail\u2019s Jim Gavin have both been on the trail in Dublin this morning although both are expected to spend the afternoon hunkering down with the teams prepping for the debate which is being hosted by Tonight Show presenter Keiran Cuddihy. <\/p>\n

For her part Catherine Connolly is spending the day on her prep. <\/p>\n

Conor Pope – 11 hours ago<\/p>\n

What else is going on today? Well, according to a piece from Mark Hennessy, <\/a>Irish unification would be \u201cmore likely and easier\u201d to achieve over the next 20 years if Humphries is elected. <\/p>\n

The election of a Monaghan Presbyterian would portray the Republic as \u201cthe very opposite\u201d of \u201cthe Vatican-dominated theocracy\u201d that dominated unionist thinking for much of the last century, said Professor Sam McConkey.<\/p>\n

Many Presbyterians in the Republic \u201cincluding Heather and myself look to the bigger picture\u201d and favour Irish unity, Prof McConkey, an elder at the Presbyterian Church in Clontarf, told The Irish Times.<\/p>\n

At his campaign launch on Sunday<\/a> Fianna Fail\u2019s Jim Gavin said he is against extremes on the left and the right misusing the Irish flag, but that people are entitled to put it up \u201cwhere they choose to\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said the flag was \u201cvery precious\u201d to him and the white in the middle was a sign of inclusion.<\/p>\n

In recent weeks, Tricolours have been put up all over Dublin as part of an anti-immigration campaign. It mimics a similar anti-immigration flag campaign in England.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe flag, to me, is very precious,\u201d Mr Gavin said. \u201cThe flag has, in its centre, the white of inclusion and of dignity and respect.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not for extremes, to the right or to the left. I believe in a constitution. I believe in an island that welcomes everybody who\u2019s entitled to be here. So the flag, to me, is very precious and people are entitled to put it up where they choose to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew Hamilton has a profile <\/a>of Catherine Connolly that you might have missed. <\/p>\n

\u201cHaving joined Labour just after the 1997 general election, a campaign in which her brother Peter had canvassed for Higgins, Connolly appeared to be Higgins\u2019s appointed successor in Galway city.<\/p>\n

\u201cElected to Galway City Council on her first attempt in 1999, Connolly was moved by Labour to the ultraconservative south ward for the 2004 election; she became the first left-leaning politician to be elected among the leafy suburbs of Salthill and Knocknacarra.<\/p>\n

It was a seismic election for Galway.<\/p>\n

But for Connolly, that was just the start. She was determined to test herself on the national stage. However, it was not to be in the 2007 general election \u2013 or, at least, not as a Labour candidate.<\/p>\n

The decision by Labour not to put her on the ballot for Galway West prompted Connolly to leave the party and embark on an ultimately successful career as an Independent.<\/p>\n

Conor Pope – 11 hours ago<\/p>\n

When it the election again, we heard you ask? Truth be told we did not hear you ask that but just in case you are wondering, it The election is taking place on Friday October 24th with the count happening the following day which means the result likely before 9pm on the Saturday October 25th although given the small number of candidates and the limited options for transfers, the nation\u2019s fabled tallymen are likely to be able to tell us who are next president will be much, much sooner than that.<\/p>\n

Conor Pope – 11 hours ago<\/p>\n

Conor Pope – 11 hours ago<\/p>\n

What can we expect from tonight\u2019s debate? Well, for starters it is likely to be easier to follow as for the first time since the mid 1990s there are only three candidates coming before the electorate. Last time out there were eight candidates in the race while seven years early seven potential presidents went before the people. The reduced number means the live debate will see the three candidates sitting at the same desk in the VMTV studio rather than at podiums which is a more traditional format. <\/p>\n

While the format might be relaxed, the stakes will still be pretty high as tonight will be the first time the three contenders will go toe to toe and any slip ups are likely to be greatly magnified. <\/p>\n

In addition to the Virgin Media debate, RT\u00c9\u2019s Prime Time is is also scheduled to be host the candidates with the national broadcaster also scheduled to host several radio debates including one on The Week In Politics next Sunday. The three candidates are also taking part in what have been billed as in-depth, 30 minute interviews with Virgin Media News\u2019 presenter Colette Fitzpatrick. Gavin will be first up on Monday, October 6th followed by Connolly a week later and Humphreys on Monday, October 20th.<\/p>\n