*Catherine Connolly with environmental groups in Spanish Point.
ONE WEEK out from the Presidential election, front-runner Catherine Connolly (IND) refused to take questions from the media of the Mid-West during her only visit of the campaign to Co Clare and Co Limerick.
Favourite to become the next resident of Áras an Uachtaráin, Connolly declined interview requests from The Clare Echo and Clare FM with one member of her campaign team issuing a threat to “ruin” a local journalist.
Latest polls show Galway East TD Connolly is in pole position to succeed Michael D. Higgins as the new President of Ireland. An Irish Times/IPSOS B&A poll of 1,200 voters this week indicates that she is on 38% support, Heather Humphreys (FG) is on 20%, Jim Gavin (FF) who has withdrawn is on 5%. Of those surveyed, 18% have yet to make up their mind, 12% have said they will not vote and 6% admitted they intend to spoil their vote.
Twenty four hours after appearing on Radio Kerry’s ‘Kerry Today’ with Jerry O’Sullivan where she said she has “faced the media” and answered questions wherever she went, Connolly and her campaign team refused to do an interview with The Clare Echo and drove off when door-stepped in West Clare this Saturday evening.
Repeated attempts to get Ms Connolly to speak to the media in Co Clare were made across this week and again on Saturday when she landed in West Clare.
During an appearance on Tipp FM’s ‘Tipp Today’ on Friday last, Catherine was asked multiple times for her views on gender ideology and how many genders there are, she responded, “it is up to people to decide that”, declining to go into detail on what her views were. “I think that’s up to the person deciding. And so there is a recognition male and female and there’s a recognition of so it’s by by one or the other and some people feel they don’t they don’t want to be restricted within that and that’s up to them”.
Having agreed to take a question when walking to her car, Connolly said “ah” and did not provide an answer when asked what her definition of a woman is.
She did not respond when her remarks about ‘facing the media’ and her honesty were put to her as she sat into her campaign jeep.
Also in Spanish Point, an organising member of Connolly’s campaign team in Clare threatened this writer “I will ruin you” if details were published about the Presidential hopeful snubbing the media were published in advance of polling day. The same individual also claimed that certain members of the media were not invited to attend events in Clare despite the issuing of an itinerary by members of Connolly’s campaign team.
Irish Presidential front-runner Connolly dodges media during Mid-West stop
Full story: https://t.co/FrIqLNw3jN#Aras25 pic.twitter.com/z20Ga70D6g
— The Clare Echo (@ClareEcho) October 18, 2025
Sixty-eight-year old Catherine also declined to do interviews with the media when she visited Limerick City on Saturday afternoon.
In Clare on Saturday, she posed for a photograph at the signpost in Connolly village before visiting The Design Bank in Miltown Malbay and St Joseph’s Secondary School in Spanish Point where talented students danced, sang and performed music for Catherine who later met with local environmental groups.
When leaving Spanish Point, the Independent who has been endorsed by Sinn Féin, Labour, Social Democrats, People Before Profit and the Green Party was approached for a door-step by The Clare Echo. She later walked down on O’Connell Street on Saturday evening with her supporters.
Officials connected to the campaign in Co Clare informed local media of her planned visit on Tuesday. Since then, The Clare Echo has attempted to organise an interview with the former Mayor of Galway.
Members of her press team had said her visit to West Clare “may be the best spot to get some quick quotes” but could not explain why the three-term TD would not be willing to face questions from the media.
Clare FM were also denied an interview by Ms Connolly’s team when they attempted to. The Clare Champion photographer John Kelly followed the Leas-Cheann Comhairle of the Dáil for her visit in West Clare but no reporters for the newspaper were in attendance who instead filed an online article outlining her visit reporting that she “is having a nicer time of it in Clare at the moment” following an altercation with Enoch Burke in Limerick City.
Meanwhile on Saturday evening, the Clare campaign manager for Humphreys has said they are in the process of organising her visit to the county. It had been due to take place on Thursday but was deferred. The Fine Gael press office have said they will attempt to facilitate an interview with the former Minister for Social Protection and the local media when she is in Clare.
