Tradition dies hard in Galway. On a rain-swept weekend that saw the familiar swirl of a Macnas parade, another proud Galway ritual unfolded — the election of one of its own to Áras an Uachtaráin. On November 11, Catherine Connolly will be inaugurated as Ireland’s tenth President, the second Galway-based person in succession to hold that office. As she steps into her new role, President Michael D. Higgins and Sabina return to the west — welcomed back into the community that launched his political and cultural journey. It is a fitting circle: Galway gives, Galway welcomes back, and Galway once again finds itself at the heart of Ireland’s political life.
For President-elect Connolly, the expectations are both personal and political. Known for her independence of thought, her commitment to equality, and her unflinching advocacy for those on the margins, Connolly’s presidency is anticipated to carry the same grounded authenticity that marked her Dáil career. In the Áras, she is expected to champion social cohesion, the arts, environmental protection, and civic participation — themes that have long resonated with her Galway constituency. Her tenure promises continuity with President Higgins’s intellectual humanism, but also a distinct voice — one shaped by decades of local activism and an instinctive understanding of community life beyond the capital.
Yet even as Galway celebrates, politics waits for no one. Connolly’s elevation to the presidency sets in motion a new contest — a by-election in Galway West to fill her vacated Dáil seat. Within six months of her inauguration, the people of this sprawling constituency will be called once again to the polls. And while the presidency is above party politics, the byelection that follows will be anything but.
Already, the contest is being framed as a litmus test for the Government — the only one it will face before the next general election in five years’ time. For the coalition partners, the stakes could hardly be higher. A poor showing in Galway West would not just be a local setback but a national signal of shifting political tides. For the parties of the left, meanwhile, the question is whether their temporary alliance in backing Connolly’s presidential bid can be sustained in the rougher waters of electoral competition.
For Galway, this is not just another election; it is a test of whether local unity and national politics can coexist. The constituency has always been unpredictable — a patchwork of urban progressivism and rural pragmatism. In last year’s general election, its five seats were divided among left and right, city and countryside — and this will again define the race to come.
Next year, as the world watches the US midterms and all that entails, Irish eyes will be on Galway. The byelection will not only decide who represents the people of the west, but also provide the first real measure of how the Government’s policies have weathered the storms of inflation, housing, and health. In that sense, Galway will be Ireland’s political barometer — its winds signalling the direction of national mood.
