Congratulations offered to President-elect Catherine Connolly at Sligo Council meeting ahead of inauguration

By Philip Rooney, The Sligo Champion

Ahead of the inauguration of Catherine Connolly as the tenth President of Ireland on Tuesday, members of Sligo County Council offered their congratulations and best wishes to the President-elect.

Connolly has close ties to Sligo with two sisters and a brother-in-law (Councillor Declan Bree) living here.

Leading the tributes at the November monthly meeting of Sligo County Council Cllr Arthur Gibbons paid tribute to all who helped secure her victory, noting the amount of people with no party affiliation who came out to canvass was telling. He added with the help of Ms Connolly’s sisters, “There wasn’t a house in Sligo that wasn’t canvassed.”

Cllr Thomas Wash offered his congratulations on behalf of the Fine Gael group and extended his well wishes to Ms Connolly’s sisters Theresa and Margaret and her brother-in-law, Cllr Declan Bree.

Cllr Paul Taylor also offered his congratulations saying, “On behalf of the Fianna Fail group I would like to be associated with the comments. I congratulate them, it must be a very proud moment for the entire family. She came across as a really good person and I wish her luck.

Those sentiments were echoed by Cllr Michael Clarke who said, “I would like to congratulate the entire Connolly family. She cleaned out the ballot box where there is a sitting TD and six Councillors from Government parties."

Cllr Clarke also commiserated with Heather Humphreys before wishing Ms Connolly well saying, “No doubt she will be a great President and a fair President.”

Cllr Gino O’Boyle described Ms Connolly’s victory as “A great achievement,” while Cllr Ann Higgins said “It was a pleasure to be knocking on the doors.”

Cllr Higgins also paid tribute to the outgoing President, Michael D Higgins, praising the “Moral leadership he has given through good times and bad.”

Cllr Donal Gilroy also extended his congratulations to Catherine Connolly, Cllr Bree and the entire Connolly family saying, “The office of President is above politics.”

The vote of congratulations was concluded by the President elect’s brother-in-law, Cllr Declan Bree, who thanked his fellow Councillors for their warm words before congratulating and praising the incoming President.

“I wish to join in the vote of congratulations to Catherine Connolly and to wish her well as she prepares to take office. “She will be a President with vision and compassion who will be independent and represent Ireland with pride, courage and integrity. “Catherine’s journey from Shantalla in Galway, in a family of 14, to Áras an Uachtaráin, has been shaped by a lifelong commitment to public service and community. “The Presidency, we are told, is largely symbolic. But symbols do matter - And actions taken under those symbols matter even more. “Catherine Connolly believes the President should be a unifying presence – a steady hand, a moral compass in a world increasingly driven by profit and spectacle. “And I have no doubt but that Catherine will be a President for all the people, especially for those often excluded and silenced. She will be a voice for equality and justice, for the defence of neutrality and a voice to promote peace at home and abroad. “In saying that I wish to thank the ‘Connolly for President’ campaigners in this constituency who canvassed the highways and byways to ensure her success, and indeed to thank my colleagues on the Council, Cllr Gino O’Boyle, Cllr Arthur Gibbons, Cllr Ann Higgins and Cllr Thomas Healy for the significant effort they put into the campaign to have Catherine elected.

“I particularly wish to thank all those people in this constituency and countrywide who voted for Catherine ensuring a landslide victory with the highest vote for a Presidential candidate in the history of the state. “I wish to acknowledge the kind words and vote of congratulations, which I will convey to the President Elect, to her sister Teresa, to my wife Margaret and to the extended Connolly Family.”

Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.