Catherine Connolly has revealed that she chose a career in politics even though she never had a passion for it.
The independent presidential hopeful initially entered politics in 1999 when she was elected to Galway City Council as a Labour Party representative, reports Newstalk.
When the Labour Party opted not to nominate her for the 2007 General Election, she resigned and carried on with her political journey as an independent.
Serving as a TD for Galway West since 2016, Connolly spoke with Henry McKean on The Hard Shoulder to discuss the driving forces behind her work, reports Newstalk.
“I’ve never liked politics,” she admitted.
“But I feel it was something in me; I do it to the best of my ability. I also realise that it’s not about me; people elect you and they give you the privilege of electing you. I used that word repeatedly because it is an absolute privilege to represent people. But then I can also look people in the eye and say I’ve done my best and I’ve done it as honestly as I can. I’m certainly not perfect but I would strive to do the best I can, no matter what I do,” reports Newstalk.
Connolly was raised in Galway City, part of a household with six sisters and seven brothers.
While many would consider that a very large family, to her it felt “just normal”, reports Newstalk.
“My Dad was brilliant, my mother was super – but unfortunately, she died at 43,” she continued, reports Newstalk.
“My Dad minded us then; one sister took over, she was 19 at the time. There was good continuity and then she left after a year and a half and my other sister took over at 14. Then my Dad remarried, about seven years later,” reports Newstalk.
It was within her home environment that Deputy Connolly first started to connect with the broader world, and she remembers being instilled with “a sense of social justice and a sense of fairness” from a young age, reports Newstalk.
“That sense of equality, that sense of social justice, the perspective outside of ourselves,” she said. “We got a perspective on the outside world very early and that other people were less privileged and… were suffering more. We’ve had our own upsets, our own joys and tragedies. So, we just learned it on the floor [of our home],” reports Newstalk.
Polling for the Presidential Election will take place on Friday 24th October.
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