Editorial: The race is on to the Áras

With just under four weeks to go to the presidential election, now is the time to fully engage with all three candidates.

The smallest field in an Irish presidential election since 1990 – when Mary Robinson (Labour), Brian Lenihan (Fianna Fáil) and Austin Currie (Fine Gael) contested for Áras an Uachtarain – it will be a hard-fought race between Catherine Connolly (Independent), Jim Gavin (Fianna Fáil) and Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael).

Both Humphreys and Connolly have served as distinguished Oireachtas members, with Humphreys first elected to Dáil Éireann for the Cavan-Monaghan constituency in 2011, while Catherine Connolly was first elected to the Dáil in Galway-West in 2016, and re-elected again in 2020 and 2024 .

Connolly’s bid marks a new departure in Irish politics, as the one-time Labour Party member has galvanized key parties across the left of the political spectrum to support her, with Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats, Labour, the Green Party and People Before Profit all joining forces in championing the former Mayor of Galway for the presidency.

Connolly left Labour in 2007 in a dispute over candidate selection. She unsuccessfully contested the 2007 and 2011 general elections as an Independent, before being elected in 2016 on her third attempt. She has served as a prominent member of the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee.

Humphreys found her way into senior ministerial ranks early on in her Dáil career – serving as Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht from 2014-2016, Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs from 2016-2017, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht from 2017-2017, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation from 2017-2020, and Minister for Rural and Community Development, Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and Minister for Justice at various periods during the 2020-2024 Dáil.

She was appointed Deputy Leader of Fine Gael in April 2024, but chose not to contest the last General Election, telling RTÉ at the time that she would be “nearly 70 by the end of the next Dáil term and I'm just not physically able to keep going for that long".

Jim Gavin is well-known in the world of GAA, having managed the senior Dublin Gaelic football team from 2012 to 2019, widely considered the county’s most successful manager in terms of titles won. He also served in the Irish Air Corps, including in UN peacekeeping roles, and latterly as a senior public servant in the Irish Aviation Authority.

As the first of the major television debates with the candidates kicked off with Virgin Media on Monday night, it is now time to tune in and carefully consider your choice ahead of polling day on Friday, October 24. While the field might be small, it is a particularly straightforward campaign from the point of view of the electorate – there really is no excuse not to become fully informed.

Step outside the algorithms of your social media feed, read broadly and listen in.

Michael D. Higgins has served Ireland honourably as our president over 14 years, following the impeccable presidencies of Mary McAleese and Mary Robinson.

Their work has garnered great respect for Ireland internationally, and raised the profile of the role of our head of State.

Ultimately, while the job of work might be largely ceremonial, the President of Ireland, as guardian of the Irish constitution, is, in effect, the person responsible for safeguarding our long-sought and precious democracy.

Seeing the charade that has become of democracy in other corners of the world, it is worth remembering that the ultimate responsibility for ensuring a robust and healthy democracy lies with all Irish citizens, who have the great honour to vote and to chose.