Landslide victory for Catherine  Connolly in Donegal

CATHERINE Connolly has been elected Ireland’s tenth president in a landslide victory.

Securing 75 per cent of the county’s votes, the independent candidate showed clear signs of triumph early on Saturday morning as tallying got underway in the Aura Leisure Centre in Letterkenny.

Official figures from the first count revealed that just 50,810 people out of a total electorate of 127,789 turned out to cast their vote across Donegal on Friday.

Of these, there were 6,434 spoiled votes, leaving the total valid poll at 44,376.

Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys received 9,316 votes, while Fianna Fáil’s Jim Gavin received 1,774 votes.

Interested spectators who made their way to the Aura to observe proceedings were 100% Redress TD, Charles Ward and Sinn Féin TDs, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Pearse Doherty, to name a few. Fine Gael Senator Manus Boyle was also in attendance, however, he was outnumbered by Catherine Connolly supporters.

Overall, the presidential election saw 39.8 per cent of voters turnout to cast their vote in the county, compared to a 33.7 per cent turnout in 2018.

Ahead of voting on Friday, polls suggested a substantial number of voters were considering either not voting, or spoiling their vote.

As expected, 12.7 per cent of votes cast in the county were spoiled, a significant and worrying increase on the 2018 presidential election, when just 1.8 per cent of voters in the county spoiled their vote.

One voter in the county spoiled their vote by writing Aisling Murphy’s name on the ballot paper. Ms Murphy was a primary school teacher who was murdered in 2022 while out walking in Co Offaly.

Another spoiled their vote by writing ‘not for Ireland’ under the candidates’ names.

These votes were placed in the spoiled votes section and were not counted.

Early on Saturday afternoon, before all counting had been completed, Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys conceded defeat.

Wholeheartedly congratulating fellow candidate Catherine Connolly on her election, Humphreys’ wished her every success.

Ms Connolly will take over the reins from outgoing president, Michael D. Higgins, following her inauguration on Tuesday, November 11 in St Patrick’s Hall in Dublin Castle. Speaking from Dublin Castle shortly after her election, Ms Connolly vowed to be a ‘president of diversity’.

Counting at the Presidential Election count in the Aura Leisure Centre, Letterkenny, on Saturday. Photo Clive Wasson