Debate contribution: Catherine Connolly, President of Ireland
Debate contribution by Ms Emma Sheerin on .
- MLA
- Ms Emma Sheerin
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 3 November 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Matters of the Day
- Heading
- Catherine Connolly, President of Ireland
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5212757
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I am happy to join Gerry in congratulating Catherine Connolly, our new president-elect, and I was delighted to take part in canvassing for her throughout the country. This discussion is a stark contrast to the previous one. The election was an example of positivity rising above negativity and of good conquering evil, and that should give all of us in the House heart. People talk a lot about labels and politics being ideologically separate at the minute, but Catherine Connolly is the epitome of what it is to be on the left. She is a genuine worker on the ground, and she understands the issues that affect the Irish people North and South. That is why the people felt such a closeness to her and voted for her in their droves. She reflects what it is to be Irish. We are known across the world for our soundness, and that is what Catherine is: sound. She understands the issues that are affecting working people and how we can address them when we work together. Catherine's election is an indicator of support for Irish unity; indeed, Irish unity was a key theme of her campaign. I was struck by the number of people across the Twenty-six Counties who expressed almost sympathy with me as an Irish woman from the North who did not have a vote for my president. However, I will be proud to call her "my president" when she is sworn in, and, hopefully, our next presidential election will see that franchise extended to us all. Catherine Connolly stands with the underdog and the downtrodden. She reflects the will of the majority of Irish people in standing with the people of Gaza as they suffer genocide by an apartheid Israeli state. She shows us on the world stage to be a compassionate country whose people care about others and have genuine charity and kindness in our hearts. Catherine rose above the negative campaign that was fought against her and showed that being true to yourself and honest in your politics can conquer any hate-filled drivel that comes at you. Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireas na daoine.
We all stand in one another's shadow, and the workers united can never be defeated. That is a lesson for us all going forward.
382 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.28 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- Criteria met: Identity framing (0.68).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.49).
- Subject area: Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.68 | Yes |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.05 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.04 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.11 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.17 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.05 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.28 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.49 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.10 |
| Adopts it | 0.41 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.71 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.22 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.02 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:46 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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