Catherine Connolly has been elected President of Ireland after a landslide victory.
She became the 10th President of the Republic of Ireland, defeating Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys, who had already endorsed her opponent.
The result, clear from the opening tally, was officially announced at Dublin Castle.
Connolly – an independent who was backed by key left-wing parties – is taking over from Michael D Higgins who served the maximum two terms in office.
The 68-year-old, from Galway, has been a TD (Member of the Irish Parliament) since 2016 and previously worked as a psychologist and barrister.
She received 914,143 first preference votes, the largest total in Irish presidential election history.
Connolly, who gave his acceptance speech first in Irish and then in English, promised to be “an inclusive president for all”.
“I will be a president who listens and reflects and speaks when necessary,” she said.
“I will be a voice for peace, a voice that builds on our policy of neutrality, a voice that articulates the existential threat posed by climate change, and a voice that recognizes the tremendous work being done across the length and breadth of the country.”
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