Debate contribution: Catherine Connolly, President of Ireland
Debate contribution by Mr Daniel McCrossan on .
- MLA
- Mr Daniel McCrossan
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 3 November 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Matters of the Day
- Heading
- Catherine Connolly, President of Ireland
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5212789
Read the official Assembly record
Text
On behalf of the SDLP and as an Irish citizen, I congratulate our newly elected president of Ireland, Catherine Connolly. I also offer my best wishes to Heather Humphreys and her family on a powerful campaign.
It was a challenging election, with two powerful and determined women at the fore. That is a sign of tremendous change and is emblematic of the vital role that women play in society as leaders of our community. That, in itself, spoke to a lot of people across the island. I am happy for Catherine, and I wish her and her family well. It is disappointing that elements of the campaign were negative and that the media often portrayed some of the more difficult challenges that affect our society and did not, ultimately, focus on the opportunities that are ahead of us as an island and as a people. I want to thank President Michael D Higgins. Michael D Higgins will go down, in my strong opinion and that of others, as one of the greatest Irish presidents that we have ever seen or will ever see. He made people in this House, it seems, feel uncomfortable because he spoke truth to power. He spoke up for people, which, unfortunately, does not go down well with some in the House. Mr Gaston talks of toxicity, division and embarrassment: it sounded very much as though he was discussing his own party, the TUV, because it seems as though its mantra is to be toxic, divisive and embarrassing. Nobody in the House — certainly not Members on some Benches — can criticise anybody for being divisive or toxic. The sludge of toxicity in the Chamber today has been enough to turn anyone's stomach. People would do well to see beyond their own toes and recognise that Ireland has changed in a positive way. It is an inclusive society that welcomes people from all walks of life. It has a bright future. I wish Catherine well in the important role that she will play, and I hope that she follows in a similar vein to President Higgins. I have just received a letter from him — just at this moment, actually. I am grateful for that letter, and I wish him and his wife well in their well-deserved retirement.
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: 0.27 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- The text criticises or condemns the framing or division (0.53).
- Subject area: Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups.
- 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 | 0.50 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.15 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.04 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.44 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.48 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.03 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.27 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.45 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it (chosen) | 0.53 |
| Adopts it | 0.02 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.68 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.27 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.02 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 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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