https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3w5g317e67o
Irish voters head to the polls on 24 October to elect their 10th president with only two candidates, Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys, still in the race.
While about 700,000 people in Northern Ireland have an Irish passport, they will not get a say in who is elected as citizens who do not have an address in the Republic of Ireland to vote are not allowed to vote.
But does the Irish president represent them regardless?
Peter Wilson, a student at Ulster University as well as a member of the Alliance Party and the Liberal Democrats, believes the president does represent him.
"I think that for a certain section of the population, people who would see themselves as Irish or Irish citizens, they feel the Irish president represents them in as much a way as the UK monarch represents a large section of the population here who would see themselves as British or British citizens," he said.
"Not everybody feels represented by the Irish president but I think, certainly, it does chime with a lot of people here in Northern Ireland."
Mr Wilson said people who see themselves as Irish relate to the Irish president more than King Charles III.
"In a very complicated and shared place, we need to realise that there are people who don't always see the world in the same way as you do," said Mr Wilson.
But, his view is not shared by everyone.
Student Jay Basra, who is chairperson of the Young Unionists at Queen's University in Belfast and a member of the Ulster Unionist Party, does not think the Irish president represents him.
"I consider myself British, I've a British identity.
"I don't think a head of state for a different country represents me at all, in any way," he said.
In fact, media coverage in Ireland around Humphreys, who is Presbyterian and whose grandfather signed the Ulster Covenant, which opposed Home Rule, has "put him off".
In 1912, half a million unionists, men and woman, signed the covenant pledging to resist any devolution of power from Westminster to a government in Dublin.
Queens University student Jay Basra standing in front of the university's students' union – he is wearing a dark jacket and navy jumper.
Queens University student Jay Basra does not think he is represented by the Irish president
"We have seen the recent debate over Heather Humphreys' [family's] membership of the Orange Order has shown there is a certain dislike to the Orange Order in the Republic and that has put me off that conversation completely," Mr Basra said.
'Informal' NI focus
Irish presidents in recent times have made Northern Ireland a focus of their tenures, like former presidents Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese.
But this is a "more informal role, rather than something the president is constitutionally assigned to do" according to Professor in law and fellow at Trinity College Dublin David Kenny.
This can be done through their speeches and conversations with people "rather than their use of formal powers", Prof Kenny said.
There has been a push by parties such as Sinn Féin and Aontú to bring in laws to extend voting rights to people who do not live in the state.
Changing the rules would ultimately lead to a referendum.
The programme for government, agreed by the two parties and a number of Independent members of parliament (TDs), does not mention a referendum on extending voting rights.
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While ruling parties Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael vowed in 2020 to extend voting rights outside the state, political scientist at University College Cork Theresa Reidy said they are reluctant to hold any such poll after recent proposed changes to the constitution were rejected by voters.
"I think governments became quite cautious about these types of technical referendums on elements of the political system, especially the sense that voters really need to be persuaded to get these through," she said.
Prof Reidy said a failed referendum on voting rights would also be a "very difficult message" sent to the Irish diaspora.
Voting rights
If there is a push to extend voting rights to Irish voters in Northern Ireland, does that mean the Irish president represents them already?
Legally and technically, the answer is no. The head of state in Northern Ireland is King Charles III.
While Irish citizens in Northern Ireland are technically able to vote in presidential elections, they need to be living in the Republic to do so.
"In that sense, the president is representing Irish citizens in lots of different places because in principle, anyone who has Irish citizenship and then moved [to Ireland] immediately [would] be entitled to vote for the presidency," said Prof Kenny.
While the representation may not be technical, some Irish people living in Northern Ireland may feel the person elected Ireland's next president speaks for them too.
by TouchingCloth69
22 comments
The president of Ireland is representative of all Irish people.
Well some people in NI have made it clear they want nothing to do with Ireland. Why is it always about protecting the British people and their identity in NI? Every bit of Irish influence is spat on and attacked by bigots, just take the Irish language act for example.
As far as I’m concerned, the President is a state functionary, and represents the people of the Republic of Ireland.
The Constitution was changed by referendum some years ago so no claim is now made on the territory of Northern Ireland. If the people of Northern Ireland change this on a referendum, if both jurisdictions vote to reunite Ireland, then the state will be one. But not now.
Sure how many here have a British passport and don’t get a say in the British prime ministers election either….
There was a hustings organized in Derry and not one of the candidates even bothered to reply to the invite, and we can’t vote for them so no not really. They’re still the head of the state on my passport.
The fact Irish citizens in NI don’t get a say over who the President of Ireland is – and that’s there is no great clamour to change this – tells you everything you need to know about how little people in the Republic think of NI and any prospect of a United Ireland.
He represents the state of Ireland and her interests on the international stage. Therefore anyone who considers themselves Irish can, if they wish, feel represented by the Irish president. There is no black or white answer here. If you ask the next president if they represent the people of Northern Ireland, you will get an answer that will suit everyone.
I don’t know why not being to vote has any difference here. Not a single person here has in many many centuries have ever voted for the British monarch or parliament yet they feel represented by them.
No
Forgive my unionist ignorance, but I’ve always thought of the Irish Presidency as being a fairly meaningless thing, akin to the Royals only without the golden carriage and the inbreeding? You go to some fancy dinners, show up to open a few community centres etc. What exactly is there to care about if it’s not a position that shapes political policy?
No, different country and has fuck all to do with it….. Fact.
Cunts pushing their all Ireland agenda and “greening of the North” which is a Sinn Féin strategy and removes their false claims of a party for all.
Represents us better than some lad who got he job because his ma had it before him
Nope. We can’t vote for them.
As someone from Dublin, I would like to see the presidential vote extended to the 6 counties. It shouldn’t be that difficult to set up, after all we recently hosted elections for the Brazilian presidential elections in Dublin.
They have no official role over NI of course but if some up here view them as their president it hardly matters does it. They could put wee pictures of the Irish president up in their living rooms if they wanted and it would have zero effect on anyone else. The race to be president has turned into something of a joke though. The way things are going there may only be one candidate left by the time the vote opens. It will be odd not to see the wee man at the rugby though.
Its a complex question to say the least and the answer would vary person by person.
Either way I think the vote should be extended to the North given that some people feel represented by the president, then you could vote if you like.
It could also present some comedy where someone like Jamie Bryson runs as an alternative candidate president only to receive 167 votes
What university student would seriously join the Lib Dems?
No
Umm who cares, what has the Irish President ever done for people in Northern Ireland, they (Irish Presidents) have no political power here. Plus we don’t vote for the King nor do we get to vote for the UK PM either even though Northern Ireland is part of the UK, so what odds if we don’t get to vote for the Irish President they do nothing anyway, just a figurehead, nothing more.
An article that actually talks sense, I agree with Peter Wilson but it also shows how ignorant Jay Basra is. He should at least realise why people down south dislike the Orange Order.
Here’s to another Mid Ulster election where he gets less than 5% of the vote.
I’m not completely sure that the Irish President represents me, but I can certainly say that whoever is sitting in that throne in Britain doesn’t represent me one bit.
No
The notion that one person can collectively embody the interests, values and aspirations of :one: other person, nevermind a country’s worth, is the reason folk are having such a hard time with accepting anyone. This role is not about you the citizen, it’s about the state you are just one part of. In that, you should be looking for someone who stands for a considerate and measured execution of your constitution. Not someone who has your exact political or personal views at the more detailed level.
God, this article quotes that absolutely deranged freak Jay Basra who is obsessed with being a loyalist and also completely unaware his heroes would skin him alive and deport his corpse if they had the chance.
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