{"id":339057,"date":"2026-02-15T18:58:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T18:58:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/339057\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T18:58:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T18:58:21","slug":"shes-careful-shes-considered-shes-steady-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/339057\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018She\u2019s careful, she\u2019s considered, she\u2019s steady\u2019 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Quietly and without fuss or fanfare, President Catherine Connolly<\/a> moved into \u00c1ras an Uachtar\u00e1in after the Christmas break, finally taking up residence in the official residence nearly two months after her inauguration.<\/p>\n

There was no announcement, no photocalls. No posts on Facebook, or X, or Instagram, no video on YouTube. Many people in the political world were this week unaware she had moved in, though they all knew that her predecessor Michael D Higgins<\/a> didn\u2019t move out until the night before she replaced him. Some painting and refreshing work had been necessary, meaning a few weeks (which turned into two months) in the Steward\u2019s Lodge at Farmleigh for the new President. (\u00c1ras staff had firmly rebuffed suggestions that Michael D\u2019s dogs were responsible for the need for touching up.)<\/p>\n

The move across Chesterfield Avenue from one side of the Phoenix Park to another, was in keeping with the character and profile of her first 100 days in office, the milestone of which is reached next Thursday, February 19th. No fuss, no drama, just getting on with business. No Michael D-style friction with the Government, no walking up to the line of presidential propriety (and occasionally hopping over it), no headlines. It\u2019s all been quite… low-key.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t what some people expected. Connolly\u2019s advocacy for Palestine, for neutrality,<\/a> her criticism of what she called the European \u201cmilitary industrial complex\u201d and her vocal opposition to Government policies in a range of areas led to some expectations \u2013 both among her supporters and opponents \u2013 that she would enter into open conflict with Government Buildings.<\/p>\n

In her inaugural address at Dublin Castle on November 11th, she spoke about how she had a \u201cpowerful mandate\u201d from voters \u201cto articulate their vision for a new Republic. A Republic worthy of its name where everyone is valued and diversity is cherished, where sustainable solutions are urgently implemented and where a home is a fundamental human right.\u201d<\/p>\n

She promised to be \u201ca steady hand yes, but also a catalyst for change reflecting our desire for a Republic that lives up to its name\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"CatherineCatherine Connolly being inaugurated as President of Ireland, in St Patrick\u2019s Hall, Dublin Castle, Dublin, in November. Photograph: Dara Mac D\u00f3naill <\/p>\n

The tone of her address was less of the \u201cNow is the time to come together\u201d variety and more: \u201cWe won \u2013 now let\u2019s crack on\u201d. <\/p>\n

There was much hot talk on the left about how Connolly\u2019s election was a game-changer. Calling for a \u201cmajor conference\u201d on left unity in the online magazine Rupture, the People Before Profit TD, Paul Murphy<\/a>, wrote: \u201cCatherine Connolly will represent our values in the presidency well and will prove to be a thorn in the side of the political establishment.\u201d<\/p>\n

In anticipation of exactly this, some people in Government talked about making it clear from the outset that they would not let behaviour deemed to be overstepping the mark to go unchallenged. \u201cIf she wants to criticise the Government,\u201d said one source at the time, \u201cthen she should be prepared for us to answer back\u201d.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not how it has panned out so far.<\/p>\n

In fact, most people in Government \u2013 who spoke to The Irish Times this week on condition of anonymity to enable them to discuss sensitive issues \u2013 were both pleased and relieved not to have that problem to wrestle with. The President has had one \u201carticle 28 meeting\u201d \u2013 the constitutional provision under which the Government keeps her informed about its work \u2013 with Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin<\/a> and the pair are said to have got on famously.<\/p>\n

But supporters of Connolly reject the idea that her presidency has had a sort of soft launch.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo far Catherine has fulfilled the mandate on which she was elected,\u201d says Paul Murphy, a key early supporter of Connolly\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer election slogan was \u2018raising your voice\u2019 and she has gone across the country, meeting community groups and assisting them to raise their voices. She has spoken out in defence of neutrality, and international law and highlighted the climate crisis. She has visited the North \u2013 that was another election promise she has kept.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Catherine Connolly touches upon Irish unity in first official visit to the NorthOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Green leader Roderic O\u2019Gorman<\/a> says he always \u201cexpected her to work within the limits of her office so I\u2019m not surprised she has. I expected her to work hard on the small stuff and she has. For us in the Greens, we are pleased she has kept climate<\/a> on the agenda.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have a sense she\u2019s been quiet \u2013 she has made a couple of targeted interventions,\u201d O\u2019Gorman adds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have a sense of, you know, where is she?\u201d says Cian O\u2019Callaghan, deputy leader of the Social Democrats and a key campaign strategist. \u201cI expect she will make an impact on key issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

But other TDs and observers who spoke privately acknowledge that they have not heard as much from the new President as they had expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe transition from backbench TD to head of State is bigger than you think,\u201d says one senior official. \u201cIt\u2019s been a bigger leap for her than any of her supporters might have imagined.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think she should be given time to adjust,\u201d the official adds.<\/p>\n

The President\u2019s official diary is published by the \u00c1ras and reveals a busy schedule of engagements both in the \u00c1ras and at venues around the country. She has been back home a lot; of the 80 engagements listed earlier this week, a quarter (20) were in Galway. A further 30 were in Dublin, divided between the \u00c1ras (16) and venues around the capital. There are eight in Sligo, five in Kerry, two each in Clare, Monaghan and Meath and one each in Carlow and Louth. During her three-day visit to the North, she had nine official engagements. <\/p>\n

The \u00c1ras says there are visits to Waterford, Donegal and Cork planned over the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

\"PresidentPresident Catherine Connolly speaks to Gregory Campbell of the DUP at the Guildhall, Derry. Photograph: Liam McBurney\/PA Wire <\/p>\n

The visit to Northern Ireland was the fulfilment of a campaign promise to make it her first trip outside the State. She got tangled up with the DUP\u2019s Gregory Campbell<\/a> when he complained to her at a reception in Derry that she had not once referred to \u201cLondonderry\u201d, nor acknowledged how the Protestant community of the city had suffered during the Troubles. She apologised. <\/p>\n

Either way, falling foul of the DUP is seldom bad politics for a southern politician. It certainly won\u2019t have upset her supporters in Sinn F\u00e9in, keen to see Irish unity at the centre of this presidency. <\/p>\n

\"PresidentPresident Connolly’s visit to PeacePlayers Northern Ireland. Photograph: Tony Maxwell <\/p>\n

Eoin \u00d3 Broin<\/a>, a Sinn F\u00e9in TD who advocated for Connolly when the party was making up its mind on the presidential election last summer, said her visit to the North would \u201cbe seen by republicans as very significant, very positive\u201d.<\/p>\n

Several Connolly supporters also pointed to a number of \u201csignals\u201d she has sent, among them greeting runners on a \u201cRun for Palestine\u201d who passed by the grounds of \u00c1ras an Uachtar\u00e1in in December. The runners included Naoise \u00d3 Caireall\u00e1in, aka M\u00f3gla\u00ed Bap, of Kneecap<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Among the visitors she has hosted at the \u00c1ras are climate activist Greta Thunberg, Eoin \u00d3 Broin (he presented her with his book on housing) and Senator Frances Black, a member of pro-unity group Ireland\u2019s Future and promoter of the Occupied Territories Bill. These, supporters say, are signals of support on issues that the Government finds uncomfortable. <\/p>\n

\u201cThese are the steps of a President feeling her way into her portfolio,\u201d says one source supportive of her.<\/p>\n

Government sources are unconcerned; perhaps the signals were too subtle. <\/p>\n

Her attendance at the annual reception for foreign diplomats based in Dublin at the \u00c1ras in early January, one of the events most valued by her predecessor, was cut short because her husband took ill<\/a> and she left with him. But her circulated script was a clear reproach to the new Trumpian world order.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe consequence of \u2018might is right\u2019 is now crystal clear before our eyes \u2013 countries can be invaded at will, or threatened with invasion and the UN organisations doing invaluable work in extremely dangerous locations can be demolished on a whim,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But there was no overt mention of Trump, and the speech did not make headlines.<\/p>\n

Several sources, both supportive and more critical, wonder what Connolly will do when the Government brings forward the legislation to abolish the triple lock \u2013 a move she has previously campaigned against and to which many of her supporters are fiercely opposed. Some online chatter suggests she will somehow block the legislation, prompting one senior official to note drily that some people may be in for a civics lesson.<\/p>\n

The President can, after consultation with the Council of State, refer any Bill to the Supreme Court to review its constitutionality. The court will then decide.<\/p>\n

If she is thinking about referring the Bill \u2013 or any Bill \u2013 she will need to appoint a Council of State to consult first. The \u00c1ras says she is \u201ccurrently considering appointments\u201d to the council. <\/p>\n

Discussions on her first overseas trip are also ongoing. Some supporters hoped she would visit Palestine, though that is not going to happen in the current climate. Instead, a visit to Britain is on the cards, though it would not be a full bells-and-whistles State visit.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, initiatives are planned on the Irish language<\/a> and to \u201cgive voice to those with caring responsibilities in the community and to young people\u201d, the \u00c1ras says. Progress on making Irish the \u201cworking language<\/a>\u201d is being advanced through Irish classes for existing staff and recruiting Irish speakers.<\/p>\n

One person who knows her well expects to see her presidency become more activist and more visible, but says this will be done carefully and methodically.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s her style? She doesn\u2019t go into anything all guns blazing. She\u2019s careful, she\u2019s considered, she\u2019s steady.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Quietly and without fuss or fanfare, President Catherine Connolly moved into \u00c1ras an Uachtar\u00e1in after the Christmas break,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":339058,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[41],"tags":[9,10,1921,160935,442,4776,30062,13,14,18577,32710,6,26303,56052,11,12,15,16,5765,5,954,72,27172,34887,47,18578,7,8,65,66,67],"class_list":["post-339057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world","tag-breaking-news","tag-breakingnews","tag-catherine-connolly","tag-cian-ocallaghan","tag-climate-change","tag-dup-links","tag-eoin-o-broin","tag-featured-news","tag-featurednews","tag-green-party","tag-gregory-campbell","tag-headlines","tag-irish-language","tag-irish-neutrality","tag-latest-news","tag-latestnews","tag-main-news","tag-mainnews","tag-micheal-martin","tag-news","tag-northern-ireland","tag-palestine","tag-paul-murphy","tag-roderic-o-gorman","tag-sinn-fein","tag-social-democrats","tag-top-stories","tag-topstories","tag-world","tag-world-news","tag-worldnews"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116076183912753063","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=339057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339057\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/339058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=339057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=339057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=339057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}