The non-party candidate, with support of five political parties, is on a whistle-stop tour of the country after the first televised presidential debate on Monday. She will return to the city to fulfil a long-standing engagement at the sold-out ‘Gala for Gaza’ at the Ardilaun Hotel this Saturday, October 4.
After a lacklustre debate on Virgin Media on Monday evening, pundits across the board declared that Connolly performed marginally better than Fianna Fáil’s Jim Gavin and Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys. The three will return to debate on RTÉ’s The Week In Politics this Sunday, October 5.
On Saturday night, the Galway West TD is expected to talk about the experience of fellow Galwegian, poet Sarah Clancy from Salthill, who is on board an aid boat travelling towards Palestine with the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Comprising 500 civilians in 40 boats, the effort to deliver aid has been attacked by unidentified drones, and has been reportedly circled by an Israeli warship as it entered the eastern Mediterranean this week.
The Galway event’s organiser, Dr Melanie McGovern, says that after expenses, volunteers have raised around €60,000 so far to donate to Gaza go Bragh, an organisation founded by Galway’s Piaras O’Brien, and Hannah Andrews, wife of mod rocker Paul Weller. Both will also address the gala.
A handful of ‘Afters’ tickets are still available, and a number of auctions on the night are expected to raise more funds.
Tickets for a public raffle are available at www.idonate.ie/raffle/GalaforGaza
