Irish Communist Party / Páirtí Cumannach Éireann Statement – 16/10/2025
The emergence of a united left candidate in the Presidential election is a development to be warmly welcomed. The Irish Communist Party / Páirtí Cumannach Éireann fully endorses this united left campaign and urges the maximum possible support for Catherine Connolly.
While no concrete programme of demands or actions has yet been finalised, we recognise that space is being carved out through this Presidential contest — a struggle which sets a progressive candidate against Empire’s handpicked representative.
We are under no illusion that the deep injustices of Irish society can be solved through a single electoral campaign, nor that the Presidential office itself holds the key to transformative change. Yet this campaign represents an important first step toward bringing together those parties and organisations that claim to speak for the working class.
A Connolly victory would symbolise the growing progressive tide in Ireland and mark a setback for the rising far-right reaction.
Throughout her career, Catherine Connolly has stood against the most reactionary forces in Irish society and has consistently confronted Western imperialism wherever it appears. In 2018, she stood on the right side of history in calling for the abolition of the Eighth Amendment. In 2021, she courageously condemned the Dublin government’s handling of the Mother and Baby Homes atrocity, holding the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister for Children to account.
Connolly has consistently opposed imperialism and reaction, both at home and abroad — from demanding that sanctions on Syria be lifted, to defending the Triple Lock, and reaffirming Gaza’s right to self-determination. Her record demonstrates a principled commitment to Irish neutrality and to the cause of national self-determination for all peoples.
Catherine Connolly would be a President who reflects the demands and aspirations of the Irish working class — ensuring that our voice is heard and our values advanced. Her campaign can serve as both a rallying point and a test for the progressive forces in Ireland, proving that unity and coordinated struggle against imperialism and neoliberalism are not only possible but necessary.
The campaign’s popular and energetic appeal shows that anti-imperialist and progressive politics resonate deeply across the country. To transform that energy into lasting institutional and social change, it must now carry over into the trade union and non-union sectors, into communities, and into everyday organising.
The Irish Communist Party / Páirtí Cumannach Éireann calls on all progressive forces involved in Catherine Connolly’s campaign to ask themselves what kind of Ireland they wish to build — and to act accordingly.
If, like our Party, they envision an Ireland in which everyone has a home, dignified work, a decent standard of living and a democratic voice in the political and economic life of the nation, then we urge them to redouble their efforts, to advance the cause of the Workers’ Republic.