Heather Humphreys has claimed that no one ever lost their home during her time at a credit union, as she criticised her presidential opponent for what she called “double standards”.
Ms Humphreys and her party, Fine Gael, have taken aim at Catherine Connolly’s past work as a barrister, suggesting it conflicted with comments she has made in the Dáil about banks, reports Breaking News.
In response, legal professionals and politicians – including Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan – have come to Connolly’s defence, pointing to the “cab-rank rule” which obliges barristers to represent clients without bias.
Ms Connolly, an independent left-wing candidate, and Ms Humphreys, representing Fine Gael, are both in the final stretch of their campaigns for the Irish presidency ahead of this Friday’s vote, reports Breaking News.
Currently leading in the polls, Ms Connolly said she was “deeply disappointed” the issue had been raised and accused Fine Gael of being “absolutely terrified”.
The disagreement began when Ms Humphreys told the Sunday Independent that she “never tried to make money out of people’s misfortune”, referencing Ms Connolly’s legal work during the financial crash, reports Breaking News.
Ms Humphreys said that while Ms Connolly represented “UK banks” before entering politics, she herself worked at a credit union, “actually helping people to stay in their houses”.
Fine Gael have also circulated a video on social media platform X that highlights Ms Connolly’s legal background, including a clip from 2017 of her criticising banks in the Dáil, reports Breaking News.
While canvassing in Gorey, Co Wexford, Ms Humphreys was asked to comment on both the video and her remarks.
“Catherine, I’m sure, is a fine barrister, absolutely, and I’m sure she was very good at her work,” she said,
“But the point is she stood up in Galway City Council. She absolutely castigated the banks and she talked about them evicting people, and she was the very same person that was working for those banks at that time, helping people to be evicted out of their houses. That is what I call double standards. It’s about the character of the person and I think it’s important that those questions are answered,” reports Breaking News.
Asked if there had been any repossessions during her time managing a credit union, Ms Humphreys responded: “A credit union has a duty to look after the savings of those who deposit their money with the credit union, they’re for the members. Unfortunately, in some cases – and always, always with the approval of the board of directors in the credit union – that legal proceedings took place, but it was only as a matter of last resort. I can tell you that nobody lost their house when I worked in the credit union,” reports Breaking News.
Responding to questions about her earlier statement suggesting she had not profited from others’ misfortune – apparently directed at Ms Connolly – Ms Humphreys was asked whether that standard should apply to barristers within her own party.
She said: “I was speaking for myself when I said that, I have never tried to benefit from people who have been in difficult situations,
“Barristers have a job to do. I respect them. Absolutely respect them. They play a hugely important role. Lawyers play a huge part of our system. It’s part of our legal system. The point I am making is, how can you stand up and give out and criticise and castigate banks, and at the same time you’re working for them to repossess houses?” reports Breaking News.
When asked if she had declared her role as a credit union manager while contributing to Dáil discussions about mortgage issues, she replied: “I never stood up in the Dail and spoke about any of those things, I can assure you,” reports Breaking News.
Meanwhile in Dublin, Ms Connolly said she was “deeply disappointed” that the campaign focus had shifted to her pre-2016 legal work rather than the candidates’ broader visions for the presidency.
Asked whether Fine Gael should take down the video, Ms Connolly responded: “I think they’re absolutely terrified that the movement that I represent and am simply a symbol of a new movement for a new republic, I think they’re absolutely terrified. And that they would resort to such tactics just reflects on their terror and their fear of the change in Ireland, and they’re utterly out of touch,” reports Breaking News.
Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik, who previously worked as both a barrister and criminology academic, described the attacks as “craven” and said they marked a “new level of nasty”, reports Breaking News.
She said: “Fine Gael should know better. This attack video is not only a new political low – a new level of ‘nasty’ in this presidential campaign. It also represents a craven and dangerous attack on a fundamental principle of the rule of law in our democratic system.”
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